


Rebirth: A Stargate Tale

by Buffyworldbuilder



Series: Buffy's New World [2]
Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV), Stargate Atlantis, Stargate SG-1
Genre: F/F, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-10
Updated: 2021-02-23
Packaged: 2021-03-14 14:27:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 57,633
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28672239
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Buffyworldbuilder/pseuds/Buffyworldbuilder
Summary: This story follows "The Slayer's New Hope" and starts in the Pegasus Galaxy where Buffy awakes in time to meet a man running from the Wraith. Daniel and the rest of the Scoobies are now in Colorado as the story gives equal time to them and SG-1.This is set during the end of season 1 in Stargate Atlantis. Obviously, it’s after season 5 of BTVS.Disclaimer: I do not own either Stargate Atlantis, SG-1, or Buffy the Vampire Slayer.  Any characters in this story are mostly not my own.  Only the story is mine.
Series: Buffy's New World [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2023319
Comments: 32
Kudos: 25





	1. A Whole New World

**Author's Note:**

> If you have not read the first one, you probably should. However, you could probably still follow this if you have not. It is set after Buffy jumps to close the portal at the end of season 5. Before her death, she discovered that Daniel Jackson was her father. Joyce contacted him before she died. However, Joyce was able to ascend with some help. It is Joyce that keeps Buffy from falling to her death. At the end of the previous story, Joyce gave Buffy some choices: stay ascended, go to heaven, go back home, or begin a new fight in the Pegasus galaxy where she will never be the sole person responsible for saving everyone. She will be a part of a team and chose to fight aliens like her father.

_*****On a World in the Pegasus Galaxy*****_

Since Buffy failed to find something to cover herself with, she braced herself for utter humiliation. However, when a giant of a man crashed through the bushes, he didn’t give her much more than a glance. He just veered around her and kept running. His lack of reaction to her was a surprise. But the huge monster like things that were chasing after him were more so. Somehow, though, she knew they were the reason she was there. These new monsters were her new mission. She looked around for a weapon and a metal glint in the grass caught her eye. Reaching down, she grabbed the long sword that was there.

 _Thank you, Mom_. It had to be her mother. Even though her memory was fuzzy, Buffy knew her mom had brought her to this place to help this man by killing these creatures. Her mother made she sure she wasn’t defenseless. Why her mother didn’t also include clothing was a very good question. However, she was grateful for the weapon. As someone whose life had always been led by the hand of destiny, Buffy knew that she was meant to protect the fleeing man.

So, she would.

Without hesitation, she grabbed the sword and charged. The creature hadn’t registered her as a threat, so its weapon was not raised. When it finally raised its weapon—a gun of some kind, she jumped high and swung the sword hard. The sword cut through the things neck with ease. Buffy didn’t pause but still twisted her body so that she landed on the other guy. She stabbed it in the stomach as its eyes widened in shock. Then she rose up to give her room to stab the creature again. That time she pierced its heart, and it stopped moving. 

Buffy stood up and looked closely at the two creatures. Their faces were humanoid. Almost like a human face with tumors, but the shape was wrong. Gowever, they both had a nose and a mouth—very demonic looking more than human. The hair on both was very long and white. They looked male, so she wondered if the long hair was normal for the creatures. Then she grinned when she realized something—they had clothes on. It was black and leather-like, but surely should could manage to put on some of it. The one she had beheaded fell back, so the clothing was free of blood for the most part. A little bit of blood didn’t bother her that much. 

She worked quickly to disrobe the creature. As luck would have it, the thing had on a white shirt of some kind that she could use to bind her breasts. She ripped it into strips and preserved her modestly, and a feeling of relief came over her. The pants were too long, but she was able to cut the legs with the sword. The best part was the boots. When she put them on and took a step, they conformed to the size of her feet. Happiness filled her. She didn’t want to go traipsing through the woods without protection for her feet.

On impulse, she grabbed one of the alien guns, figuring it might come in handy. Grinning, she realized she could use the belt and holster. The completed ensemble was more than ridiculous. She had ripped pants that fell to her knees. Her knees were exposed and then the boots covered the rest of her. Her arms were mostly bare, but that was okay. The place was very humid. 

Now she went to find her giant these monsters were chasing. 

Buffy moved quickly, going in the general direction that the guy had been going in. When she went around a tree, something grabbed her. Instinct had her struggle against the arms that held her. When she couldn’t easily break loose, she butted her head back, forcing the hold to loosen. Then she twisted and turned, moving away. It was the guy she'd saved from the creatures. Buffy glared at him.

"Hey, I went with the saveage, and you attack me? Is that how you say thank you? Rude much?" she asked.

The man frowned at her and finally took in her appearance. "What in the worlds are you wearing?" he asked.

Buffy looked down and grimaced. Then she gave him a sheepish grin. "Well, I killed those two things that were chasing you and took their clothes. I was left here naked—not that you seemed to notice. I had to make their clothes fit. Luckily, the boots are one-size-fits all!"

The man stared at Buffy in utter disbelief a long moment, and then he began laughing.

"What's so funny? I don't look that funny!" Buffy protested in offense.

"Actually, you do," the man said with a snicker. "But I'm not laughing at your clothes but at your delusion. There is no way you killed those Wraith."

"Wraith? Is that what they are called? What kind of demon are they?" Buffy asked.

"They're not demon. They're alien," he said flatly.

"Oh," Buffy said, startled. "Is this not Earth?"

"Earth? What's that?"

"The planet we're standing on. I am from Earth. This is Earth, right?" Buffy asked, trying not to panic.

The man was silent, sobering as he gave her a curious look. "No, it is not."

Stunned, it was Buffy's turn to look disbelieving. What the hell was going on? How did she get here?

_*****Atlantis*****_

Elizabeth Weir, civilian leader of the Atlantis expedition, reread the message she’d received from Stargate Command over a week ago. A personal message from the newly promoted Brigadier General Jack O’Neill had come in that morning, forcing her to make a decision. It wasn’t a hoax. 

Her second-in-command, John Sheppard, came into her office without knocking. When had he become so comfortable with her? Instead of offense, it brought a smile to her face. John was an extraordinary man. After nearly a year, she counted him as a close friend. Good-looking and charismatic, he led the military on Atlantis with a firm but loving hand. No man or woman on his team would ever hesitate to follow his direction because they all knew that there wasn’t a thing Major Sheppard wouldn’t do to keep them and their floating city safe. Elizabeth trusted him not only with her own life but with the life of the entire base.

“You wanted to see me?” John asked.

“Have a seat,” Elizabeth said. “I received a message from SGC a week ago that I’ve been sitting on.”

“Why?” John asked. It wasn’t like his boss and friend to keep anything from him. They were a team. He’d never dreamed a civilian leader of an expedition this size could be such a great leader, but she was. She never hesitated to make the tough decisions, yet she always listened to his suggestions. If she didn’t go the way he wanted, she always made sure he understood her reasoning. They were the perfect balance. She was cool under fire while he was impulsive, even rash. Neither of them, though, would back down from a fight.

“Honestly, John, I didn’t know how to take the message. Then I received a message from Gen O’Neill this morning that echoed the first message, assuring me that it wasn’t a joke,” she said. “They also included a file with more information. You should probably read it first.”

“Why would you think the SGC would send you something you couldn’t trust?” he asked, frowning.

“It’s better if you just read it yourself,” she said, handing the first message to him.

_We have it on good authority that Daniel Jackson’s daughter may be in the Pegasus Galaxy. Her name is Buffy Summers, and she gave her life protecting Earth from a threat as great as any alien invasion. She is a mystical warrior with powers to fight super human threats. An Ascended being contacted Dr. Jackson and assured him that his daughter had ascended but did not stay in that state. Instead, she has chosen to join the fight against the Wraith. We do not know exactly where she is or what she will remember. Instruct your teams to keep an eye out for a petite, beautiful blonde with green eyes that looks nothing like a warrior. You will know it is Buffy by her skill in battle. She can beat Teal’c. If you find her, contact us immediately. She is to be a member of your team. You will find her a valuable asset. The President has cleared her and has signed off on her inclusion. Be on the lookout. More to follow._

John gave Elizabeth an incredulous look. “Is this a joke?” he asked.

“I wasn’t exactly sure myself,” she admitted. “No teams, though, have reported any unusual encounters. I wasn’t disobeying orders, just trying to figure out what was going on. I had contacted SGC for further information, and when today’s supplies came in, O’Neill sent me a file.”

She handed John a folder. He opened it and looked at a picture. The face was young—too young to be a seasoned fighter. He went through the file, ending with Jack’s personal message. The file contained information about the subterrestrials threats that were on Earth and attempts to monitor and contain them. A report on a failed Initiative and current teams fighting global rise of demons and other creatures.

Demons? This was unbelievable. As John read, he realized he lived in a place of myth—a floating city created by the Ancients. How could he not take this report as truth? The revelation of hellmouths on Earth shook him to his core. He fought a desire to return home as the instinct to protect his own was hardwired into him. His eyes met Elizabeth’s. 

“It’s a lot to process,” she said, understanding completely what was going through his mind.

Jack’s message was on the final page, written in his familiar scratch. There was no doubt the message was from him.

_This is no joke. You cannot imagine what this girl has accomplished in her short life. She was called and empowered as a child—barely fifteen. She moved onto a hellmouth and fought monsters equal to the Wraith nightly. Imagine the experience in just five years and you will understand why the SGC and the President have asked that you find her and bring her to Atlantis. Picture what you think a daughter of Daniel Jackson might be like and split her into two. Dawn, the younger sister has his intellect. Buffy his heart and selflessness. She won’t just be an incredible resource, but she will elevate your entire expedition._

_As the daughter of my best friend, I consider her family and would be greatly upset to discover she was not treated like such by you and your team. When you locate her, please make sure she is able to communicate with Earth. Her family and friends are anxious to hear from her._

_Sincerely,_

_Jack_

“Wow,” John murmured when he was able to speak again. He read the letter more than once. “I guess we have to find ourselves a supernaturally empowered vampire slayer that is lost somewhere in the Pegasus Galaxy.”

“Don’t you mean a Wraith Slayer?” Elizabeth corrected with a wry grin.

“Rodney’s head is going to explode when he reads this,” John said with a smirk.

“I’ll make sure you’re there when I tell him,” she said with a chuckle. “Let’s pass around copies of her picture to the teams and begin an active search.”

“I’m on it,” John said, eager to find this mythical warrior. Dr. Jackson was a man admired by everyone who met him and held in awe by those who’d only heard of his incredible exploits. For being his daughter alone, the young woman would be given the utmost respect. Knowing, though, more about her, John was looking forward to making this particular woman's acquaintance.

***** _Chapter End*****_

_As I wrote this, I realized that I’ve probably gotten Jack’s titles/rank wrong in the last story. I believe he took over SGC before Landry. Forgive the mistakes. Kudos and Reviews are appreciated._


	2. A Fresh Start

_*****Unknown Planet******_

Buffy looked at the giant of a man, trying to wrap her mind on what he was saying. "You're telling me that I'm on another freakin' planet?" she asked. "In the Milky Way Galaxy, right?" Did she get sent to another dimension? But wouldn't another dimension just mean another Earth?

The man shook his head. "This is the Pegasus Galaxy," he said. He turned to go find the Wraiths. The strange girl was obviously delusional. However, something must've happened, though, because there was no Wraith shooting at him now or stomping through the woods as there had been. This tiny blonde girl—she looked barely at the age of maturity—could not have possibly killed the creatures that had been hunting him for so long.

He pushed aside the brush, looking for signs. The girl followed him. "Whatcha doing?" she asked. He ignored the fact that she wasn’t nearly as scared as she should be as he searched for the Wraiths’ trail.

Her speech was odd and not like any that he'd ever encountered. The giant sword she had on looked ridiculously out of place on her frail, weak looking body. He ignored her and continued to search. The Wraith couldn’t have gone far.

"The bodies are over there," she informed him, pointing to the right. She walked ahead and then stopped, pointing. "Here."

Giving her a suspicious glance, he moved closer. When he saw what she was pointing at, he was stunned. "What? How did you do that?" he asked her.

She shrugged. "I'm stronger than I look. On my planet, I'm called a slayer. Normally, I kill vampires and demons. Those things looked like demons to me—my slayer senses were screeching that they were of the bad. Hence, the slicing and dicing," she said.

One was stripped and headless. He glanced at her clothes now with new eyes. Respect shown in them. Maybe on her planet, the women were very powerful. "I'm impressed," he said.

"Impressed enough to tell me your name?" she asked, giving him a bright smile. "I'm Buffy. Buffy Summers from the planet Earth."

"Ronon Dex" he said. “I am a Satedan.”

Buffy gave him a confused look. “You’re Satan?”

“No, I am Satedan. That’s the planet I’m from. Satada,” he said.

“And those things live here? You fight them? I used to have to do something similar on my planet,” she replied.

“No, they haven’t been here in a long time. About a seven years ago, they kulled my planet. I’m the only one left alive,” he said grim. 

Buffy gave her a horrified look. “What? They wiped out your planet? An _entire_ planet? God, I’m sorry!” Buffy said, feeling his pain. What would it take to get rid of a planet’s population? It was terrifying to think about.

Ronon was not used to sympathy. After the destruction, he’d not had much time to even mourn. He’d just been running. “Thanks,” he mumbled. “The Wraith will be back.”

“Why? If everyone is gone, why would they be back?” Buffy asked.

“Because I’m a Runner,” Ronon said.

“What do you mean?”

“They implanted something in my back. It lets them know exactly where I am. It’s a great sport for them,” he said grimly.

Buffy grimaced. “That sucks. Do you want me to cut it out?”

“Are you a doctor?” he asked hopefully.

She shook her head. “No. But I could try,” she said.

“You could also paralyze me if you do it wrong,” he said.

“Oh, let’s not do that then,” Buffy said quickly. The idea of paralyzing someone was too horrible to contemplate.

“How are you here?” he asked. Then he gave her a suspicious look. “Are you a Wraith spy?”

Buffy’s eyes got wide. “What? Me a spy? Do I look like a spy?”

“No. But would a spy admit to being a spy?” he countered.

“I’m not a spy.”

“Then how did you get here?” Ronon asked.

“I’m not really sure,” Buffy said, looking away. “I was on my planet. My sister’s blood had opened this gateway to a hell dimension. It was going to destroy my planet. Only her blood could close it, but I wasn’t going to let her die. I jumped instead since our blood was the same.”

“So you came through a portal?” Ronon asked, confused.

She shrugged. “I guess,” she said. “But I don’t think that’s right. I think something else happened to me, but I can’t really remember.”

“Well, this is basically like hell, so I’m sorry for you,” Ronon said grimly.

“Thanks,” Buffy said. “But it’s worse for you. At least I know everyone I love is safe back home. My dad will take care of my sister. The hell god who was a threat is gone.”

They heard a noise overhead. “That’s them. They’re coming!” Ronon said. “I have to go.”

He turned to run. Buffy ran after him. When he realized that, he paused. “Don’t follow me. It’ll get you killed,” he said.

“I’m not going to let you fight those things alone,” she said. “I think I was sent here to help you.”

Ronon scoffed, finding that notion ridiculous. “Whatever. Do what you want. It’s your death,” he said carelessly and turned to run.

Buffy was not far behind.

***** _Colorado Springs*****_

Daniel glanced nervously at the girls—Dawn, Willow, and Tara. Why he was even nervous escaped him. This was their first time to come to the SGC. It’d been two months since Buffy fought Glory and ascended. Knowing Buffy was okay had meant everything to them. But it was hard not having her with them. Leaving Sunnydale was the best choice. Even without Joyce’s prompting, he would’ve made that decision. His work was in Colorado, and a new place would be the best thing for Dawn.

It had taken them a month to finally sell Joyce’s art and close down her business. He did it while putting the house in Sunnydale on the market. Dawn had agreed it was the best thing—she didn’t want to come back to stay. Two weeks after that, they had the house packed up. Jack had secured him a new place to live. Daniel needed a lot more room since nearly all Buffy’s friends were making the move with them. With Buffy gone, Daniel believed Dawn needed all the support and familiar faces she could have. Jack agreed and secured them a large two-story house on the outskirts of town but close to the base. It had a large attic Daniel planned to convert for Buffy’s room. He refused to believe that she wouldn’t be back with them one day. It was important that she have a place when she did. He was going to put all her things there. There were two bedrooms downstairs and two upstairs. 

Daniel decided that he and Dawn would stay downstairs. However, Tara wisely pointed out that if Daniel was away for days on a mission, Dawn might not feel comfortable downstairs alone. They decided that the downstairs would be for the men and let the ladies have the second floor. Since there was a downstairs bathroom, it worked out well. None of the girls were eager to share bathrooms with guys. A large basement downstairs could be used for sparing and a laundry room. Dawn loved the house because it had so much space. It needed some work, but Xander said he could handle it. 

Xander wasn’t with them today since he was still in Sunnydale. Today, Daniel was taking the girls to the SGC for the first time. Xander hadn’t moved yet because he needed another week. He spent the summer studying and spending time with Anya, who wasn’t handling things well. Anya loved her job at the Magic Box, and the hellmouth was her home. She didn’t want Xander to go and tried unsuccessfully to change his mind.

They hadn’t broken up, but Daniel wasn’t sure they’d make it. Long distance relationships were hard.

“We'll have to go through a few security checkpoints," Daniel told them as he pulled up to the first one.

"I bet that gets old every day," Dawn said as the military guys with guns waved them through. Being around Jack and his soldiers in Sunnydale had made the sight of guns not as scary. However, she wasn't sure if she would ever be that comfortable with them.

Daniel shrugged. "I don't really think about it anymore. It's just one of those necessary things," he said. He parked the car.

"It really is inside a mountain," Willow said in bemusement. She was going to work part-time with Sam on some projects that Sam hadn't had time to focus on. Tara wasn't really interested in working for the SGC outside of helping out in world ending events. She was just going to focus on finishing her degree.

"It's good of you to let me see everything even though I'm not going to be working here," Tara said to Daniel as they paused as the second checkpoint.

Daniel put his arm around the soft-spoken girl, who had quickly become a favorite of his. She was so gentle and kind. Dawn adored her and would've been heartbroken to leave her behind in Sunnydale. "You're part of the family. Jack pulled some strings to let you and Dawn get a look at the gate," he said. "Moving here is a big change—one you were not obligated to make."

Tara smiled up at the man she'd come to love like a brother. "I couldn't let Willow and you guys have all the fun without me," she said.

When they finally got into the elevator, Daniel pushed the button to the gate room.

Dawn's eyes widened as she realized what was happening. "We're going down? Way down into this giant mountain?" she asked in alarm. "What if there's an earthquake or an attack? We'll be buried alive!"

Daniel pulled her close as the elevator started going down. "Don't worry, sweetheart. If something horrible like that happened, the Asgard would beam us to safety," he said. Of course, they now had their own ship with that technology also, but he didn't share that with her.

"Also, I could probably master that teleport spell I used on Glory if I had to," Willow assured her.

Tara and Daniel exchanged a look but said nothing. Willow's ease with magic made Daniel nervous. It had become clear to him over the summer that Tara wasn't okay with Willow's growing power. Joyce's warning about Willow was never far from either of their minds.

All too soon they were out of the elevator.

"Hey, Walter. Meet my girls," Daniel said, when they made it to the gate room. "This is my youngest daughter, Dawn. And this is Willow Rosenberg, who will be working here with Sam. And this is Tara. Ladies, Walter keeps the gate running for us."

"Wow! What a cool job!" Dawn said, looking at the gate.

Then an alarm sounded. "Off world activation."

"Looks like you'll get to see one of the teams coming in," Daniel said. He watched the girls' faces as the gate was activated. The look of amazement was great to see. They had been through so much. It was good that he could show him something that would push back the darkness.

Joyce said it was important that they all be here in Colorado. Daniel was not sad to leave the hellmouth behind. However, he wasn't sure if he was up to the task of keeping an eye on so many. Sure, they were adults, but the potential for harm was unlimited. His plan was to get Willow back in touch with the science side of herself. Tara thought this would be the best thing for Willow. Giles was sending them a witch that would help them with their magic. Somehow, Daniel had a feeling that these girls would one day play a huge part in saving the Earth—not from subterrestrial threats but extraterrestrial. 

"That is so cool!" Willow said in awe. She leaned against Tara. "Just think, Tara. One day, I might actually get to go through that thing and visit other worlds! How cool is that?"

The idea terrified Tara to her soul, but she plastered on a brave smile. "Pretty cool, sweetie," she said.

Dawn was jumping up and down excitedly. "Oh. My. God. How do I get to be a part of this place, Dad? Do I have to enlist? Air Force? Army? What?" She asked.

Daniel's eyes widened in concern. "No way! I lost one daughter fighting in a war. Not going to lose you!" he said.

"There's lots of non-combative positions here, though, right?" Willow reminded him.

"That's what I am listed as, actually, and I get shot at quite a lot," Daniel said, frowning. He wouldn't mention all the kidnappings and near death and death experiences he'd had. The thought of Dawn being a part of the Stargate program made him physically sick.

"I lived on a hellmouth for five years, Dad. I can handle it," Dawn said confidently. She was Buffy's sister, and she promised her that she'd live for Buffy. It didn't matter that Buffy was alive somewhere else. Dawn wanted to get the most she could out of life. She knew more than anyone how fleeting it could be. Fighting aliens was so much cooler than fighting demons anyway.

Daniel groaned. Maybe bringing them on a tour wasn't such a good idea after all.

***** _Chapter End*****_

_We will see SG-1 at times and the Scoobies, but it might not happen in every chapter. I appreciate the reviews. Thanks so much!_


	3. Links

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Although I don't plan on getting into all of SG-1's season 9, I have to introduce Vala Mal Doran, a favorite of mine. I will be taking great liberties with episodes 9.1-9.4. The characters are more important to me than the storyline from the show (even though I LOVED the Val-centered storyline). Dialogue is NOT taken from the show.
> 
> I am a bit confused by Ronon's history. Was he discovered on his home planet or was he running from planet to planet? I'm going with the latter because it fits my vision better. I hope if it's way off no one gets too upset about it. Thanks!

**** _*SGC*_ ****

Daniel led Willow, Tara, and Dawn into the gate room so that they could view the stargate at work. 

"We're lucky that there's a visitor the first time you come," he said. "Not everyone gets to see this."

"Dr. Jackson," Walter said. "We've got a transmission marked for you."

"Patch it through," Daniel said, frowning as General Landry and Mitchell arrived into the gate room.

"Hello? Is the very cute Daniel Jackson there? I have something that I know he'll be interested in," a female voice said.

Daniel groaned as he recognized the voice. "I think I know who it is. Remember, when Prometheus was hijacked? I was taken hostage by the Kull, but it wasn't really a Kull. It was—"

"Vala Mal Doran," the voice said. "I know Daniel will be happy to see me!"

Willow grinned as Dawn's eyes widened. "You were kidnapped? She kidnapped you? Why is she acting like you're old friends?" Dawn asked.

"She's a fruitcake," Daniel said.

"A deadly one?" Mitchell asked.

Daniel shook her head. "She's a con artist and a thief, but she's not evil," he said. "Just an opportunist."

"Open the iris," General Landry ordered.

Daniel went down to meet her. She greeted him like an old friend, ignoring his stand-offish air.

"Vala, what brings you here?" he asked.

"I have discovered the most fascinating old tablet that I just knew you'd love, and since it's in Ancient, I thought of you," she announced as if she was doing him a favor by being there.

"Dr. Jackson, are you going to introduce us?" Mitchell asked, smiling at Vala. The woman was very attractive with a head full of dark hair. She held herself with a confidence that was very appealing.

Vala gave him a warm smile. "Who is this hottie? I don't think we've met. I'm sure I would've remembered if we had because I do love a man in uniform!" she said, holding out her hand.

"This is Lieutenant Colonel Cameron Mitchell, my team leader with SG-1, and that's General Landry, the base commander," Daniel introduced. "Guys, this is Vala Mal Doran."

"A pleasure," Mitchell said, shaking her hand.

"The pleasure is _all_ mine," she said with a flirtatious smile.

"Okay, Val, knock it off. Tell us why you are here?" Daniel asked, annoyed that she was interrupting his tour.

"I have this tablet I won in a card game," she said, pulling it out of her knapsack. "I think it will prove highly lucrative for both of us."

Daniel glanced at it and sighed. He looked at his boss. "It's in Ancient," he said.

General Landry nodded. "Well, take it to your lab and work on a translation," he said.

"Sir, I have my family here," he said, pointing to the girls who were practically glued to the glass in fascination at Daniel's interaction with Vala.

"Is she an alien?" Dawn was whispering to Willow.

"I don't know," Willow said. "She looks human. She's very sexy."

Dawn frowned at the way the woman was looking at her dad. "Do you think she likes Dad? How does he know her?" she asked.

Walter spoke up. "She is technically an alien since she wasn't born on Earth. But she is human like most aliens we encounter. The Ancients spread humanity throughout the galaxy," he explained. 

Daniel came to the gate room. "Girls, this is Vala. She needs me to look at this tablet. Will you mind hanging out in my office for a bit?" he asked.

"Of course not," Willow assured him. "Hi." She smiled at Vala.

"Well, hello," Vala said. "Daniel, did you acquire a harem while we've been apart? I'm quite shocked. I didn't realize that the Tauri followed the old ways still."

Dawn’s mouth fell open in shock as she absorbed Vala’s words

"No, we do not," Daniel said sternly. "This is my daughter Dawn and two of our close friends, Willow and Tara."

"Nice to meet you," Willow said.

"Hello," Tara said, giving her a shy smile. The woman's aura blazed a bright purple with tinges of yellow in the edge. She'd been touched by darkness, but it had not broken her. Interesting.

Vala considered the daughter as she followed Daniel to his office. "Daniel, are you married?" she asked.

"No, Val. Dawn's mother passed away very recently," he said, not explaining.

Guilt filled Vala. "I'm sorry," she said, giving Dawn a look of compassion. "My parents died when I was young also. It's hard."

"Yes," Dawn said. She wanted to dislike the brazen flirt on principle, but she was very charismatic with an engaging smile.

When they got to his office, he turned on a desk lamp so that he could examine the tablet more closely. The girls wandered around the room, picking up objects. "Be careful. Everything in here is priceless and very old," he said over his shoulder.

The next thing he knew, Vala was putting a golden bracelet on his arm. "Sorry, Daniel, but I need something more from you," she said.

"Vala, what the hell is this?" he asked.

"It's a kor mak bracelet,” she said, grinning. 

“Why did you put one on my wrist?” he asked through clenched teeth.

“So you won’t run away from me,” she said with a grin.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” he asked, trying to take it off. He could not.

“What’s going on?” Dawn asked, not liking what she was seeing.

“Ask the fruitcake,” Daniel said, glaring a Vala.

“I didn’t want you to run off with my share of the loot,” Vala said.

“Loot? What loot?” Daniel asked.

“Fine. I’ll tell you,” Vala said, throwing up her hands. “Rumor has it that this tablet will lead to a huge cache of wealth in Avalon that is supposedly hidden here on Earth!”

She flashed an excited grin at the room.

“So the tablet is like a real treasure map?” Dawn asked, her eyes wide.

“That’s it exactly!” Vala said excitedly, happy to sense an ally in the young girl.

“An ancient treasure map?” Willow asked.

“She’s a con artist, guys. It’s probably a scam,” Daniel said.

“It’s not!” Vala insisted. “Translate it and you’ll see.”

“What could it hurt, Dad?” Dawn asked, excited at the thought of a treasure hunt.

Daniel groaned, seeing the excited looks on all his girls. “Why do I have the feeling that I’m going to regret this?” he asked.

Dawn cheered and hugged him. “It’ll be fun!” she exclaimed.

Vala beamed. “So much fun!”

For some reason, Daniel didn’t quite believe her. 

Tara looked at the bracelet on Daniel’s wrist. Why did she think Daniel needed a bracelet to keep him from running away? She had a feeling that there was more to this than they knew. She hoped the fall-out from the woman’s brazen actions wouldn’t be too terrible.

***** _Atlantis*****_

 _"_ Oh, come on!" exclaimed Rodney. "That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard! It's obvious that O'Neill is pranking you. He is known for that."

"I don't think so, Rodney," Elizabeth Weir said. "It came in official orders, and then a personal note was added by Jack."

"You expect me to believe in magic now? That's basically what you're saying," Rodney said with a scoff.

"What about the Nox?" John reminded him. "You read SG-1's report about their encounter with them. They were able to bring the team back to life. There was no noticeable technology involved."

"That doesn't mean that magic or the mystical is real," Rodney said.

"Maybe not. Maybe this Buffy has achieved super powers on her own using her superior brain. Who knows? Either way, we have to look for her," John said, not wanting to argue with Rodney anymore. "We've lost Lieutenant Ford. Looking for him and Buffy will keep us busy."

"If we do find Dr. Jackson's daughter, Rodney, think of her like another Teyla—blessed with superior fighting skills," Elizabeth said.

"That's assuming this is real and not a bunch of hogwash!" Rodney replied.

"Assuming," Elizabeth agreed.

"Let's get to the gate, Rodney, if you're coming," John said.

"I'm coming," Rodney said. "I wanna be there in case this magical creature tries to cast a spell on you!"

"No one said she was a witch, Rodney," John said, rolling his eyes.

Elizabeth could still hear them bickering as they walked out of her office. Let's hope they found Daniel's daughter in one piece.

***** _Sedan******_

Buffy found her monosyllabic new friend an enigma. For the past three days, she had followed him from planet to planet. He led her through something called a stargate that looked like a portal. When he told her it connected to wormholes, her brain shut down. Willow and Xander would be very excited to know where she was and what she was doing. The first time or so gave her the wiggins, but she got used to it easily enough. She didn't notice it affecting her slayerness any, so she didn't give it much thought after the first few times.

However, she was finding Ronon and his non-verbalness frustrating. She chatted like a magpie, and he mostly grunted. She got him to share how he was captured and made a runner—the things he’d learn. The past few years, he decided he was done simply running. He defended himself and became very good at killing Wraith. They had gotten ambushed on his home planet Sedan. He saved her life when he knocked her out of the way of a beam—the life suckers actually beamed people up to their ships. Of course, Ronon didn't even crack a smile when she made the inevitable _Star Trek_ joke.

Buffy believed that he always found a way to circle back to Sedan. It would be too heartbreaking for her if she was him. She couldn’t imagine losing not just your family, but your _entire_ planet to one enemy. The main reason Buffy was handling being away from home so well was that she knew that her family and friends were just fine without her. Her dad would take care of all of them, and she knew that her mom was either watching out for them or had returned to them. Plus, she kind of liked not having to worry about everyone all the time. Here it was just herself and Ronon to worry about—it was a nice change of pace.

It was strange how easily Buffy and Ronon learned to fight together. Back-to-back, they both were ferocious and tireless when the Wraith found them. It took a year of fighting together before she achieved such synchrony with either Angel or Spike. However, she and Ronon gelled together within a few days.

Before the sun set, both were weary and injured in more than one spot.

"We so need a break," Buffy said, feeling exhausted. "My aches have aches!"

"Let's go to another planet and rest," he said, moving fast toward the gate. Ronon never wanted to stay on a planet that he knew for certainty the Wraith were orbiting. He wasn't surprised when his new friend followed him, easily keeping pace. She may look like a pretty butterfly, but she was as deadly as a viper and as tough as a boar. Ronon never thought he'd want anyone fighting with him again after losing everyone, but she was different. Although she never ceased her prattling, he found it soothing more than annoying. He'd been alone for so long that he'd nearly forgotten what it was like to have someone to talk to. Even though he rarely talked to her, it was nice knowing that she was there if he wanted to unburden himself. The sound of her voice was comforting.

The new planet was like all the others—they looked like Earth. The gate was just outside of a forest. Naturally, Ronon started trekking toward the woods. With a sigh, Buffy followed him, grumbling. "I'm so sick of nature! Just once, I'd like to see a skyline—a beautiful city. Electricity and a hot shower would be even better," she mumbled.

"We can go to a place with showers," Ronon told her.

She was surprised—not realizing that he was even listening to her grumblings. "Showers? There's showers in this galaxy?" she asked excitedly.

"There's spaceships, so, of course, there's showers and indoor plumbing," he said dryly.

A smile broke out on Buffy's face. "Next planet we go to will have both, right?" she asked. "Or a hot bath." A dreamy expression came over her as she thought of a very hot bubble bath.

Ronon didn't fight the smile that broke out. "You are so odd," he said.

"Am not! I'm perfectly normal for a girl. Being able to clean oneself is the mark of a civilized individual!" she protested, causing him to snort. 

Then he paused as he sensed that there were others tramping through the woods. "We're not alone," Ronon said.

They moved to two trees on each side of the area the visitors should appear from. Ronon stepped out to confront the intruder. The man attacked. 

Buffy came from behind and knocked him down, hitting him on the back of his head with her weapon. When the man collapsed, they looked down at him. "What is he? He looks like a Wraith but not," Buffy said in confusion.

"I'm not sure," Ronon said, frowning. He could hear more steps coming toward them.

"Let's jet and see who it is," Buffy said, gesturing.

Ronon gave her a puzzled look at her verb usage but shrugged. He often could not comprehend everything she said. However, he—like now—normally got her intent. They moved to opposite sides of the trees that bordered where the noise was coming from. Ronon gave one glance at the first intruder to make sure that he was still knocked out, waiting for the next to come. 

From the sound of it, there was more than one. They weren’t Wraith because they were anything but quiet. One voice was complaining loudly.

He glanced at his friend, who gave him an amused one.

She mouthed, _So easy!_ A small smile graced his lips as he nodded, agreeing with her assessment.

The new intruders would pose very little challenge for him and Buffy.

_******To Be Continued******_

_I decided it was easier to continue with the Ford-Wraith storyline. Review and make my day! Thanks!_


	4. A Runner No More

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So the time on Earth won't pass exactly the same as time in the Pegasus Galaxy. Or rather, I will be writing about what's going on with the SG-1 and Scoobies in short scenes that won't necessarily match the time frame where Buffy's at. I hope it doesn't annoy. It's just easier to fit in scenes of the other BTVS characters this way.

_*****Earth*****_

Xander drove the last mile to his new home in Colorado with some strong misgivings. It had been difficult saying goodbye to Anya. He wanted her to move with him, but she refused. Her attachment to her shop was too strong. She didn't know what she'd do with herself in a new place when she was just getting used to be human in Sunnydale. At least on a hellmouth she felt at home. Xander got it, but it hurt. He wanted her to love him more than anything. Of course, the irony was she said the same thing to him. He did love her—more than he had ever loved anyone. It was just meeting Jack and finding out about a life in another galaxy had done something to him. The side of him that was a monster killer and the echo of the soldier he had been had both stood at attention. They felt that Jack's offer was the best possible future he could have. Not only didn't he want to let his girls move so far away without him, he wanted the future that Jack said could be his.

Xander also liked the man Jack saw when he looked at him. He wasn't the Zeppo or Buffy's sidekick. He was his own man with things to offer. It made him feel better about himself in a way that nothing ever had. Being excited about this new path made him feel guilty, though. He was leaving Anya behind. What if the distance was too much? What if they grew apart? What if she forgot about him? What if he forgot about her? It hurt his heart to think about it.

The driveway to their new home was ahead. Xander had felt the darkness of the hellmouth leave him the more distance he got from the place. The beauty of Colorado was bright and more barren in places than California. The ocean was far behind him, but they never spent much time at the water. Xander figured he'd pick up skiing. He turned into the drive, excited to see the large house that sat on a few acres. The building in the back was a place he could store his tools. Xander had been pulling a U-Haul trailer full of furniture he had taken from his house. Anya insisted that he take half of their things. It had hurt to do so—it made them seem more broken up than they were. However, he knew taking the smaller guest bed was a good choice. Not only did it leave Anya the nicer bed that she loved, but it kept him from having to go furniture shopping.

As soon as he turned off the engine, Dawn came flying out the door.

"You're finally here!" she shouted excitedly.

By the time he got out of the car, she had practically tackled him. "I can tell someone is excited to see me," he said, hugging her. 

"I have so much to tell you!" she gushed.

Tara stepped out on the porch to greet him. "Glad you made it, Xander. How was the drive?" she asked.

Xander pulled her in for a hug. "Good. I enjoyed it. This time nothing went wrong with my car!" he said with a grin. The SUV he now owned was in top shape. His last attempted road trip had been vastly different.

"That's good," she said, smiling up at him. Xander was the brother her own had never been. She loved him and was glad Willow had him. Sometimes Buffy made her nervous. At times, she'd felt insecure about her place with Willow when faced with Willow's devotion to Buffy. But with Xander, she never had to feel that way. Xander just accepted her and loved her, treating her like a sister from the beginning.

"Where's everyone?" Xander asked when he didn't see Daniel or Willow.

"Daniel is using his link to Vala to find some ancient treasures!" Dawn said excitedly. "Willow is helping."

"Huh?" Xander asked.

"You missed some things," Tara said, smiling. "Come inside and eat, and we'll fill you in. Then we'll help you unload."

Xander put his arms around both girls' shoulders and followed them into their new home. He had a feeling that life in Colorado would be every bit as exciting as life in Sunnydale had been. Hopefully, he'll have less trips to the hospital!

***** _Pegasus Galaxy*****_

John looked at the unlikely pair, who were holding weapons toward him. They weren’t Ford, nor were they Wraith. The giant seemed menacing, while the girl looked too young and fragile to be much of a threat. However, her look made him pause. Could she be the one they were watching for? He raised his hand, moving his weapon off from them even as his team kept theirs aimed.

“We’re not here to harm you,” he assured them.

“That’s good. I want a hot bath, not a bloody fight,” Buffy said easily. She lowered her weapon and looked at Ronon, who had not lowered his. 

“We’re looking for a friend of ours. He is a bit confused right now,” John said.

“He also looks like a failed science experience,” Rodney added. He frowned at the pair. What was a girl that looked like her doing with a man that looked like that? “Are you alone?” He noticed her weird outfit. “What the hell are you wearing?”

“What business is that of yours?” Ronon asked, pointing his weapon at Rodney.

“Ro, calm down,” Buffy urged, facing him. “We don’t need to fight humans who could easily be from my planet.”

“And what planet might that be, dearie?” Dr. Beckett asked, his Scottish brogue causing Buffy to glance at him intently.

“Earth,” she said. “Are you Scottish? How did a Scot get to another galaxy?”

“How did _Survivor_ Barbie get to the Pegasus Galaxy?” Rodney asked with a noticeable smirk.

“Huh?” Buffy asked, confused at that particular Barbie reference.

“You know the show, _Survivor_? One of those dumb reality shows Americans are always making,” Rodney said with disdain.

“Hey! What’s wrong with being an American? _I’m_ an American!” Buffy said, offended at the dig.

John grinned. It had to be her. “Are you by any chance Buffy Summers, daughter of Dr. Daniel Jackson?” he asked.

Rodney looked at John in surprise. Then he realized what her presence meant. “Damn, Shepard. You’re right. She does look like the picture,” Rodney acknowledged.

The previously unconscious Lieutenant Ford began to stir.

Buffy noticed it right away. “Careful. That guy over there attacked us. I think he’s coming to,” Buffy said, distracted. John moved to investigate.

“It’s Ford,” he said. 

Rodney was holding a zat’nik’til on his former team member, which bothered him more than he would ever tell anyone. How had his friend allowed himself to be reduced this way? Stupid military guys always trying to use their body instead of their brains.

“You had better restrain him,” Buffy advised. “He seems kind of messed up.”

“He is,” Dr. Beckett said. “He has been taking Wraith enzyme to make himself stronger to fight the Wraith, but it messes with the human mind. He is now irrational and totally unstable.”

“Can he recover? Look normal again?” Buffy asked.

“I am not sure, but I would think so—eventually,” he said. 

John put cuffs on Ford, who started to struggle. “I think we should render him unconscious, so he doesn’t break the cuffs. We’re not sure how strofng he is now,” John said.

Dr. Beckett moved to sedate Ford. John turned to the two Marines. “Take him back to the gate. Dial out. I don’t have to tell you that you need to keep him restrained until we fix him,” John said.

“Your doctor is staying, right?” Buffy asked anxiously.

Dr. Beckett turned to her, curious. “Why, lass? Do you need medical attention?” he asked.

She shook her head. “No, not me. Ronon does,” Buffy said. Ronon glared at her for sharing his business. He didn’t know these people or trust them. “He has a Wraith tracker on him. On his back.”

John and Teyla exchanged a glance.

“You are a runner?” Teyla asked.

“He is,” Buffy said, answering for him. “He doesn’t like to talk much.”

“We can help him,” Dr. Beckett said.

“We have orders to find you and bring you back to our base,” John told her. “General O’Neill says your dad is anxious to confirm you are alive.”

Buffy grinned excitedly. “You guys are in contact with my dad and SG-1?” she asked.

“You know who SG-1 is?” Rodney asked in surprise.

“Well, duh,” she said impatiently. “Of course, I do. Top secret clearance girl. Savior of the world girl. I bet I know more things than you do. Except your name.”

“More than me?” Rodney scoffed. “Doubtful.”

Rodney didn’t know what that gleam in Buffy’s eyes meant, but he would.

Buffy snickered. “You have no idea,” she said.

“Buffy, that’s Rodney our lead scientist. He’s a brain, but it sometimes not obvious ‘cause he doesn’t always know when to shut up,” John said with a pointed glare.

“I do, too!” Rodney said hotly.

John ignored him and held out had hand to Buffy. “I’m John Sheppard, the military leader. That’s Teyla and Dr. Beckett,” he introduced. She shook it.

“I’m Buffy and this big guy is Ronon Dex,” Buffy said, smiling up at her silent companion. She looked curiously at Teyla. “Are you human?”

Teyla arched an eyebrow. “I am,” she said. “I am not from your planet, however.”

“Why do you make my senses go wiggy?” Buffy asked.

Ronon tensed, having learned that his small friend had a danger sense greater than his and a built in Wraith detector. His glare resumed. If they tried to attack her, he’d take out the military leader first since he was the biggest threat. Buffy could take the girl. The scientist wasn’t even an issue.

John noticed Ronon’s sudden tension and worked quickly to reassure her. “We have recently discovered that Teyla has some Wraith DNA. She can sense them because of it. We’re not sure exactly how it happened, but we have some ideas,” he said. “But she’s completely trust worthy.”

Buffy nodded, willing to give the girl the benefit of the doubt. She looked up at Ronon, putting her hand on his arm. “It’s okay, Ro. These are my people. My dad knows them. That means they’re not going to hurt us,” she said.

“No, we’re not,” John assured them. 

“If you come back with us, we can fix your friend,” Dr. Beckett said.

Rodney frowned. “We can’t take him back with that tracker on him. We don’t want to bring Wraith at our door right now,” he pointed out.

“Can you remove it here?” John asked him.

“Yes, but it’s not a good idea if something goes wrong,” Dr. Beckett said.

Ronon grabbed Buffy’s arm and pulled her away from them. “What are you doing?” he asked, glaring at her.

“I want them to help you,” Buffy said. “You don’t have to keep running.”

“We don’t know them,” Ronon said.

“If they know my dad, it means we can trust them,” she told him.

“I don’t know your dad,” Ronon pointed out with a glare.

“But you know me. Trust me, Ronon,” Buffy said, reaching for his hand.

She was so physical, always touching him. It wasn’t sexual, but Ronon wasn’t oblivious to her beauty. However, they spent too much time in peril, so he pushed down anything that might be attracted to her. She was his friend—that’s all that mattered. If he didn’t agree, they would part ways. She was determined to go with these people—he could see it.

“I’m not leaving without you, Ronon,” she said stubbornly. When he showed surprise, she glared at him. “Why do you seem surprised? I told you that I was sent to you for a reason. Helping you is what I’m meant to do. I can’t leave you. If you want to go somewhere else, we’ll leave them.”

“Really?” he asked.

Buffy nodded. “Yes,” she said. “You’d be really, really stupid to pass on their offer to remove your tag, though.”

“Fine,” Ronon said. “We’ll trust them—for now.”

“Until they give us a reason not to,” she said. Then she gave him that cheeky grin that always amused him. “Besides, no place in any galaxy can hold the two of us against our will!” He acknowledged her claim with a small smile of his own.

They turned back to the group, Buffy’s arm linked in Ronon’s. “We’ll go with you after you remove his tracker,” she told them.

“That’s fine,” John said, smiling confidently at them.

It took less than an hour for the doctor to remove Ronon’s tracker and hand it to Buffy. “Here you go, lass. All out,” he said.

Buffy looked at it. “Such a small thing,” she murmured. She showed it to Ronon. Then she dropped it onto the ground in front of him. While Beckett was sewing Ronon up, she slammed her foot hard on the device, destroying it.

Ronon felt the weight of it leave him and gave her a rare grin.

“You’re free, Ro. No more running,” she declared.

Ronon stood up and accepted the tight hug she gave him.

No more running. He was finally free.

***** _Chapter End*****_

_I hope you enjoyed the update! Take a minute to leave a kudo or comment!_


	5. Atlantis

***** _Where We Left Off*****_  
  
When Buffy and Ronon made it through the gate, it was jarring to see that they weren’t in nature anymore. Most of the gates they traveled through were outside. However, this one took them into a facility of some sort.   
  
“Hello, I’m Elizabeth Weir,” a tall brunette said, giving them a warm smile. “Welcome to Atlantis.”  
  
Buffy beamed at her. “Thanks for having us!” she said. She kept a hold of Ronon’s hand, feeling a bit nervous with all the sets of eyes looking at them.  
  
“Rodney, find a room for both our guest,” Elizabeth said.  
  
“We’ll stay together,” Buffy said, knowing Ronon didn’t like her away from him. “Until we get the lay of the land.”  
  
“We have quarters with bunk beds. Will that work or do you want a double bed?” Elizabeth asked. Buffy’s answer would, of course, clarify their exact relationship.  
  
Buffy smirked. “Bunk beds are fine. We’re not lovers,” she said. “We’ve been too busy surviving for romance.”  
  
Ronon gave her a small smile. He felt better knowing that she would stay close. Friendly people made him suspicious. He had been very suspicious of Buffy from the start, but she quickly won him over With her fighting skills.

“Are you hungry?” Elizabeth asked.  
  
“Always,” she said with a sheepish smile.   
  
“The restroom facilities are through there,” Elizabeth said, pointing. “If you want to wash up for dinner, we’ll take you to your room after you eat.”  
  
“Thanks,” Buffy said. She and Ronon walked to the bathroom.   
  
“Are you sure about this, Buffy?” Ronon asked.  
  
“These are my people, Ronon. My dad’s people. We can trust them,” Buffy assured him.  
  
“Okay,” he said.   
  
“Besides, they fixed you up. That has to count for something, right?” she pointed out.  
  
“It does,” he acknowledged.   
  
They cleaned up a bit. Buffy was looking forward to a hot shower, but she wanted food more. When they made it out of the bathroom, Teyla was waiting to escort them to the dining area.  
  
“So how long have you been with this group?” Buffy asked.  
  
“Several months,” she replied. “I have found them to be honorable and brave. They saved my life and the lives of my people.”  
  
“Good to know,” Buffy said, giving Ronon a pointed look.  
  
Dr. Beckett greeted them, standing as they approached. “Buffy and Ronon, this is Dr. Radek Zelenka. Most people call him Zelenka,” he introduced.  
  
“It’s nice to meetcha,” Buffy said, shaking his hand. They were across from the two open seats.   
  
“I’m Major Evan Lorne,” said the cute brunette that had been with John’s team, looking for the Wraith-infected guy.  
  
“So many cute guys. Teyla, how do you get any work done?” Buffy teased.  
  
Teyla smiled. “They are all incredibly nice men,” she said diplomatically.  
  
Buffy laughed. “So tell us about this place? Are we under water like the legend from Earth?” she asked.  
  
Rodney answered her inquiry. “Actually, we were when we arrived. The shields were failing, and we thought we were going to drown,” he said.  
  
“Luckily, the place had a built-in safety feature,” Dr. Zelenka said. “It rose from the water just as the shields began to fail.”  
  
“Wow,” she said. “Sounds exciting.”  
  
“That’s one word for it,” Rodney said.  
  
John arrived with Elizabeth. “Buffy, we sent a coded message to our command that you had been located safely,” she shared.  
  
“Really? That’s great,” Buffy said. “Will I be able to speak to Dad?”  
  
“Well, right now, we don’t have the power for trips. We have a ship that makes trips to bring us supplies, but it’s a long journey. I’m sure your dad will send a message,” she replied.  
  
“Normally, they send DVD’s of taped messages for us,” John said. “You can make one, too, and when we establish the connection, we can send it back.”  
  
Buffy felt relieved that she could have some form of contact. “It’s amazing. I’m in another galaxy, far, far away, like _Star Wars,_ but I can still speak to my family back home! It’s way cool!” she exclaimed happily.  
  
“If we can ever get a ZPM, we can power wormhole connection long enough for a visit or maybe find some other power source,” Rodney said.  
  
“What’s a ZPM?” Buffy asked.  
  
“It’s basically the battery that charges the Stargate,” John explained.  
  
“That’s way oversimplifying it, don’t you think?” Rodney said in distaste.  
  
“It charges the gate, doesn’t it? Batteries operate the same way,” John pointed out.  
  
Ronon snickered, enjoying the military leader.   
  
“So do you want to tell us about yourself?” John asked.  
  
Buffy realized for the first time that she didn’t need to hide anything about herself with these people. They traveled to other worlds. Two people sitting with them were actual aliens—even if they did look human. She smiled. “Well, I was called to fight demons, vampires, and all things that go bump in the night when I was fifteen in Los Angeles. They call me a vampire slayer, officially. I burned down my high school gym saving my classmates from a bunch of vamps when I was first called. My parents didn’t react well and then divorced, so Mom moved me and my sister Dawn to Sunnydale, not realizing it was a literal hellmouth. I’ve spent the past few years fighting vampires nightly. Stopped a few apocalypses. You wouldn’t believe how many idiot vamps or demons want to open the hellmouth. This past year was the worst. A hell-god came after my sister. Wanted to use her in some ritual that would bleed all realities together. I didn’t get to my sister in time to stop the ritual, and the portal was opening. Demons were coming out all over the place. I realized that my sister’s blood was the same as mine, so I jumped in her place. The energy killed me, but my mother is ascended and showed me how to ascend. At least that’s what I think happen. It’s a bit foggy. But I should be dead again, but I’m not. I’m here,” she said. Finally stopping for air. That was a Willow-rant of epic proportions. She smiled, thinking of her friend.  
  
The group stared at her in various degrees of acceptance and disdain. Not unexpected.  
  
Teyla was the most accepting. “What are demons and vampires?” she asked.  
  
“Vampires are kind of like your Wraith. Super strong. They feed on blood, not the life force of humans,” she explained. “Basically, a human is bit by another vamp and forced to drink the vamp’s blood. They die and wake up an animated corpse. When you stake them with wood in the heart, they go poof.”  
  
“Poof?” Zelenka asked.  
  
“Turn to dust,” she clarified.  
  
“Oh for crying out loud!” Rodney exclaimed. “That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard!”  
  
Ronon stood up, glaring down at Rodney. “Are you calling her stupid?”  
  
“Well…”  
  
“Or a liar?” Ronon asked angrily.   
  
“Rodney, shut up,” John said. “You read Jack’s letter. The military is aware of the supernatural and read us in.”  
  
“But turning to dust? That defies the laws of physics!” he protested.  
  
“It’s magic,” Buffy said with a shrug.  
  
“Now you expect me to believe magic is real?” Rodney scoffed.  
  
“I don’t care what you believe,” Buffy said with a shrug. “But look at me? I’m 105 pounds. Would the laws of physics say I could lift Ronon easily? That I could bend metal? That I can cut myself with a knife and be healed in less than five minutes?” When Rodney still didn’t look convinced, she picked up her steak knife and cut her arm.   
  
Ronon growled, not liking to see her hurt in any way. Although he hadn’t known her long, their bond was strong. “Do not hurt yourself to prove something to that man!” Ronon informed her, glaring at her and Rodney.  
  
“Relax, Ro,” she said, putting the napkin on her arm to wipe the blood. “Watch.” She held out her arm, so that Rodney and Dr. Beckett could easily observe her arm begin to close. The blood stopped almost immediately—it had been a shallow cut.  
  
“Oh come on!” Rodney grumbled, jumping from the table. Aliens he could understand because life was everywhere. The supernatural? Magic? It was just too much for his scientific brain to comprehend. He had to escape the woman who was destroying his perfectly ordered world with little effort on her part.  
  
John laughed. “Man, if I knew that the easiest way to shut Rodney up and get rid of him was to completely destroy his concept of reality, I would’ve gotten a Ouija board a long time ago!” he declared, making the table laugh.  
  
“After you eat and get cleaned up, you have to go out on the deck and see the view. This place is beautiful,” Elizabeth told her.  
  
Buffy enjoyed the companionship even though she could sense that Ronon was more than a little uncomfortable with all the people. He’d been so isolated for so long that it was hard for him. However, Buffy had a good feeling about these people.  
  
After dinner, John led them their room. “If you desire to separate, the room across the hall has a large bed and is empty,” he told them.  
  
Buffy thanked them and went into the room. It wasn’t very roomy, but there was built-in dressers—kind of like a ship cabin. The beds were also built into the wall. “I call top bunk!” Buffy cried, throwing her sword on top of it.  
  
Ronon smiled, “That’s fine. I’m not sure, though, there’s enough room under there for me,” he said. He tried to sit down on the bed, and he couldn’t fit his body under it.  
  
“We could go check out the other room,” Buffy said with a shrug. She led him to the room across the hall. It didn’t seem to be locked, so she stepped inside. Like the other, the lights came on as soon as they stepped in.  
  
It was much larger with a queen size bed, a desk, and a dresser built into the wall. “Wow, this one is so much nicer!” she exclaimed. She went through the door on the right and saw a bathroom. “Oh, good, there’s the bathroom. It’s got a shower! This place is perfect!”  
  
“It is,” he agreed.   
  
“I’ll go get our stuff,” she said, turning to go.   
  
Ronon reached out and grabbed her hand. She looked over her shoulder in surprise. “Don’t you think we should talk about this?” he asked.  
  
“About what?” she asked, not understanding.  
  
Ronon smiled fondly at her. How could such a deadly killer be so naïve? “Do you think it’s a good idea to share a bed?” he asked.  
  
“Why not? We’ve shared space smaller than that,” she reminded him.  
  
“True,” he said.  
  
Buffy gave him a mischievous smile. “But if you eventually find me to hard to resist, let me know!” she teased.  
  
“What will you do?” he asked, arching an eyebrow.  
  
“You’re very tall. I’m not sure we’d even fit,” she said, grinning.  
  
“Oh, we’d fit,” he assured her, releasing her hand and crossing his arms.  
  
“Right now, I need a friend and so do you, so we’ll stick with that,” she said. “Back home, I had a Xander-shaped friend. You can be my Ronon-shaped friend here.”  
  
“That’s a good thing?” Ronon asked in amusement.   
  
“It’s the best thing ‘cause Xander is the best friend a gal could have. Sure, he had a crush on me when we met, but boyfriends come and go—a best friend is forever, especially one that fights in a hellmouth with you,” she said.  
  
“Oh really?” Ronon said, not sure he felt about her waxing so enthusiastically about another man.  
  
“Really. Xander helped stop more than one apocalypse with me without your strength or skill—he still risked his life with me. Got hurt for me. He even broke a prophecy for me,” she said.  
  
“Huh?” Ronon said, confused.  
  
“There was this prophecy when I was sixteen that I would die by the hand of the Master—that was this master vampire—so ugly,” she said. “Anyway, the Master actually _did_ kill me. He bit me.” She gestured to the scar on her neck that Ronon had wondered about. “Then he threw me unconscious into a fountain and drowned me.”   
  
“You were dead?” Ronon asked in surprise.  
  
“Long enough for another slayer to be called. It’s why there’s two now,” she said. “But Xander saved me. He gave me CPR and brought me back to life.”  
  
“That’s incredible,” Ronon said, impressed despite the stab of jealousy he felt at her gushing over another guy.  
  
“That’s my Xander-shaped friend,” she said with a sigh. “God, I miss him. And Willow and Dawn. And my Dad.”  
  
“At least you know they’re alive and okay,” he said. He didn’t have that luxury.  
  
Buffy gave him a sympathetic look, understanding what he was thinking. “So I think, you and I are going to be the best of friends,” she informed him.  
  
“I can live with that,” he said as she hugged him. Then she pulled back to look up at him.  
  
“If I fall in love with you, I’ll let you know!” she said, smirking. Then she jumped up to kiss his cheek and tugged on one of his braids. “Your hair is like its own thing. We made need a king-size to accommodate it! You have more hair than me!”  
  
“I do not!” he insisted. “It’s just fake braids, tied into my real hair. Your hair is everywhere!”  
  
The two argued good-naturedly as they moved their stuff into the room, and then went out to the deck John had pointed out earlier.   
  
“Wow! This is amazing!” Buffy gushed.  
  
“It’s nice,” Ronon acknowledged.  
  
“Nice? You can see the city reflecting on the water even in the moonlight!” she said, her eyes shining bright with pleasure.  
  
“You’re right. It’s a beautiful sight to behold,” he said. Ronon, though, wasn’t looking at the water.  
  
Sighing in happiness, she leaned against Ronon, who put his arm around her shoulder, tucking her against him. She was a tactile person, and he was not. However, she touched without thought, and he’d gotten used to it.  
  
“When you feel good about this place and being here, let me know. I’ll move into the room across the hall,” she told.  
  
“Okay,” he said, feeling her loss already. But he’d already loved one woman. He’d had a family and they died. He didn’t think he could survive that kind of loss again. Buffy was a fighter. She was young and had already died twice. Eventually, a bigger monster would take her out permanently. Although he’d fight to his own death to protect her, he knew that one day, he’d lose her, too. Friends was better. His heart wouldn’t shatter that way.  
  
***** _Back on Earth*****_  
  
Jack sat down in relief when he found out that Daniel was okay. The stunt that Vala had pulled had nearly gotten him killed. Luckily, the bracelets were off, and his buddy was okay.  
  
“General? We have received a message from Atlantis,” Walter told him as he came into his office.  
  
“Really? What’s it say?” he asked.   
  
Walter handed him a piece of paper to him.   
  
Jack read it and looked up with a smile. “This is great news! I’ll go tell Daniel,” he said, standing.  
  
He went to Daniel’s quarters. He could hear him bickering with Vala from the hall. Shaking his head, he stood in the doorway, knocking on his door frame since the door was open.   
  
Daniel looked up. “Hey, Jack. What’s up?” he asked.  
  
“Are you guys still fighting?” Jack asked in amusement.  
  
“No,” Vala said as Daniel said, “Yes.”  
  
“I was just saying that I didn’t see what the big deal was. We may have been burned to death, but we weren’t really there, so no real harm done,” Vala said dismissively.  
  
“The bodies our essence was in were killed, Vala. That couple is dead!” Daniel said, upset.  
  
“But we’re not, so it was a smashing success!” Vala said, happily.  
  
Daniel looked at her in dismay. “How can you say that? They’re dead, and it’s _our_ fault!”  
  
“We didn’t burn anyone alive, so no, it’s not. It’s the crazy Ori priest,” she said.  
  
“She’s right about that, Daniel,” Jack said. “Don’t blame yourself. We couldn’t have known that would happen. No one could. Now we know about the new threat that’s out there. We know about the Ori.”  
  
“Exactly!” Vala said, flashing Jack a beaming smile.  
  
“I got great news, Daniel,” Jack said.   
  
“Really? What?” he asked.  
  
“Atlantis sent word. Buffy’s been found. She’s alive, Daniel. They have her on Atlantis!” Jack shared.  
  
Daniel closed his eyes a moment, relief and joy filling him. “Thank God!” he exclaimed. He couldn’t believe it. His girl was alive!  
  
**** _Chapter End****_  
  
 _The episode referenced slightly in this chapter for SG-1 is 903 Origin where the Ori are first introduced when Vala and Daniel’s essence are transported to an Ori planet. I didn’t want to get into the episode, but we can assume that season 9 of SG-1 is going on with some changes. Daniel won’t be so willing to sacrifice himself now like he did before. Brushes with death will make him more upset because of his new family responsibilities and ties to Dawn_


	6. Daughter of Light

***** _A Week Later*****_

Buffy was having mixed feelings about being at Atlantis. One on hand, the thought of Giles’ face when he discovered the lost city of Atlantis was real made her happy to picture. The place was very cool. Also, it was nice to not have to live in constant fear and vigilance. She slept for an entire day once she and Ronon were settled into their new quarters. When she finally got up at dinner and ate enough for three grown men, there had been a lot of looks.

On the other hand, the lack of things to slay or fight was making her antsy.

“I’m bored,” she complained at breakfast after a week of being there. She hadn’t got any word from her family even though she’d made her video. It wasn’t going to be sent out for another week—a scheduled info exchange. However, a message did get sent that she was alive and safe. Although her sister was in great hands with her dad, she missed her sister like she would miss a hand or leg. Dawn was a part of her—more than a sister, not quite a daughter. Not having her bratty presence felt wrong on several levels.

“Do you want to spar?” Ronon suggested.

“Well, yea, but I need more,” she said glumly. She had sparred already with Teyla and Sheppard. Both were great fighters, but not much of a challenge. Teyla was great with a staff, but since Buffy was highly skilled with a sword, not much of a challenge. Of course, Sheppard had been blown away by her skill.

Rodney found her casual shrug and response maddening: “All part of the slayer package. Plus, I fought a master vampire with a sword my junior year of high school. He was about to open hell on Earth, so I had to kill him to close the rift his blood opened.”

Rodney had wanted to argue the likelihood of Barbie fighting duels before going to a senior prom, but he had watched her easily defeat Teyla with a staff and then a sword. Since she defied all rational thought and science, he had fled the room.

Sheppard, of course, found her ability to render Rodney mute hilarious. Ronan’s skills were nothing to dismiss either, and he was excited to have both of them at Atlantis.

“Why don’t we explore the city?” he suggested. The team was preparing to go on a mission later that day.

Buffy readily agreed. She asked the very cute Lieutenant Lorne to give them a tour.

“So, Lieutenant, what do you guys like to do for fun?” she asked, grinning at the solider. Ronon was on her other side, glancing around suspiciously. He was still waiting for the other shoe to drop. Buffy believed that if he didn’t have her to worry about, he’d settle in a lot easier. However, he had appointed himself her knight protector and nothing would allow him to relax completely. It was sweet and a nice change from her life on Earth, where not even Angel had been so watchful of her. Although he knew better than anyone in that galaxy what she was capable of physically, he still worried about her. It made the ache of her absent family and friends a little less.

Lieutenant Even Lorne had spent years working for Stargate Command. In his time, he had seen lots of strange and wonderous sights. However, he had never encountered anything or anyone like the daughter of Dr. Jackson. He had heard her tales and seen her spar, and he was very impressed. She was like poetry in motion, and she didn’t remind him much of her father. Her casual air and quips seemed more like Jack O’Neill.

When Buffy turned down a corridor, Lorne tried to catch her. “Wait, Buffy!” he called out. “That section is restricted.”

He found Buffy in front of an open door. Frowning, he moved to catch up. Ronon was behind her.

“How did you get this door opened?” he asked, puzzled.

“What do you mean?” Buffy asked, looking over her shoulder at him. “I just put my hand on that pad there at the door, and it opened. 

Lorne called for Sheppard. “Sir, you need to come here. Bring Rodney. Buffy just accessed the black quadrant,” he said.

Ronon gave him a hard look. “What does that mean? Black quadrant?”

Before he could answer, Buffy picked up a small round cylinder that was about six inches long. A buzz and blue light came out of it. Buffy started waving it around. “Oh my God! I have found an actual lightsaber! Xander and Dawn are going to die!” she exclaimed.

“Careful! We don’t know what that does!” Lorne cautioned.

“I wonder how you turn it off?” Buffy wondered. Suddenly, it went off. “How cool is that? I thought it, and it went off!”

“That’s how ancient technology works. You control it with your mind if you have the gene,” Lorne explained. “You must have the gene.”

She moved into the room some more and found a large glass box of some sort. “That’s strange. Why would there be a glass box in the room?” she asked. It seemed to connect to the ceiling.

“How about you stop touching things!” Rodney exclaimed as he and Sheppard made it to the room. 

“What are you doing here?” John asked them.

“Buffy wanted to explore the city,” Lorne answered. “She came down this hall before I could stop her.”

“How did you get in here?” Rodney demanded.

Buffy didn’t appreciate his tone and raised an eyebrow. “I used the Force, Luke,” she said with a smug look.

“She touched the pad at the door,” Lorne said.

“It wouldn’t open for anyone,” Rodney said suspiciously.

“She must have the ancient gene,” Lorne said.

“I have it, and it wouldn’t open for me,” John said.

Buffy shrugged. “I don’t know what to tell you. I put my hand on it, and it opened. Easy peezy,” she said.

Rodney made a noise in his throat. “Easy peezy?” he demanded. He gave John a beseeching look. “She says easy, John!”

“Calm down, Rodney. It’s probably because of her mystical blood,” he said.

“Mystical blood?” Rodney demanded. “Of all the stupid things I’ve heard you say, that takes the cake! Blood isn’t mystical! It’s just blood!”

Buffy snickered at him, but then she turned to walk around the large glass box. “This box has to have a purpose. No one would make a glass box without a reason,” she said. On the other side of the thing, she saw another hand pad. She bent down slightly and touched it.

A woman appeared. “There’s a woman trapped inside!” she exclaimed.

“Oh, come on!” Rodney protested impatiently. “It’s a hologram!”

The woman was attractive with black hair. “Greetings, Daughter of Light. This room was made especially for you. In it, you will find all you will need to prepare to fight our greatest foe. We thank you for coming to our aid—even if your aid comes too late,” the woman said. Then she was gone.

“What?” Buffy asked, puzzled.

“Turn it back on,” Rodney ordered.

“It’s not like I see and on-off switch,” she said, glaring at the man.

“Touch the pad again,” John suggested.

They listened to the woman again.

“What’s this mean?” Rodney wondered.

“Obviously, Buffy is the Daughter of Light, and this room is full of tools that a warrior such as she could use to fight the Wraith,” Ronon said easily.

John grinned at him as Rodney sputtered, trying to find the words to protest.

“Cool! My own room full of toys!” Buffy said eagerly. “I wonder what else I’ll find?”

“Don’t touch anything!” Rodney ordered.

Ronon glared at him, and Buffy gave him a cool look, going toward him. He gulped in concern at the look in her eye.

“Listen here, science boy. You try to tell me what to do again, and you and I are going to have a real problem. I take orders from one person, my Watcher. And you aren’t him,” she said firmly. “Stop acting like I’m a freak or a threat or an idiot. I’m getting real sick of it. Be grateful that I’m here because some day really soon, I’m sure I’ll be saving your sorry ass.”

Rodney took a step back, not liking the angry look in her eyes nor the growl Ronon directed his way.

“Rodney doesn’t mean anything,” John said easily. “He just doesn’t do well with change.”

“You better put a muzzle on him before I show what it’s like to get beat by a girl,” Buffy warned.

Rodney whimpered.

“He just needs time,” John assured her. 

“I need a team here,” Rodney said, shaking off the fear she sowed in him. “We have to catalogue and record all the things in this room.”

“So get one,” Ronon said, crossing his arms and giving the scientist a pointed look. It was no secret that Ronon didn’t like anyone upsetting Buffy.

Buffy turned away from Rodney, eager to explore her room. John gave Lorne a silent command, and he moved to shadow the pair.

“Rodney, you have got to find a way to contain how Buffy affects you,” John said in a low voice.

“John, she-“

“I get it. It’s hard. She’s not like anything you’ve seen, but neither were the Wraith. They’re real. So is she,” John said. “Be glad she’s on our side. I’m going to go talk to Weir. You go get your team.”

Rodney followed him out. He didn’t mean to upset the woman, but it was hard to keep the reaction she caused to himself. The woman was a walking impossibility. What was he supposed to do? Pretend she wasn’t the most beautiful, incredible woman he had ever seen?

***** _Earth*****_

Xander didn’t take long to settle into the new house and begin working on some repairs. Being away from Sunnydale was strange at first. However, the simple lack of constant vigilance allowed him to sleep better than ever. With all that rest, he felt more energized and alert than ever. He began going on morning runs as soon as the sun came up. Colorado was a beautiful state, and he liked the crisp morning air. It kept his blood circulating, leaving him relaxed and eager to face his day.

After two days in town, Jack contacted him. He was going to spend one day a week at Stargate Command being tutored in math and science by Dr. Carter. Then he would spend three days a week training with either an SG-1 team or Jack himself. Xander found the general’s continued interest in him a bit strange. He was just a nobody, the son of a drunk. Why should a general waste his value time on Xander? It was just dumb luck that put him in Buffy’s orbit and pulled him in to the demon slaying business.

It was his first weekend meeting Sam, and Daniel was taking him to the base. The girls were touring the college Tara and Willow would be attending.

Daniel was sharing innocuous details about the base and his first impressions. 

“I don’t know why Jack wants to waste time on me,” Xander finally confessed.

“Maybe he doesn’t consider it a waste of time,” Daniel said, glancing at him. “Jack rarely does anything he doesn’t want to do, especially not since he’s been made general. You have heart and courage—those are two things you can’t teach.”

Xander nodded. “I just don’t want to let him down,” Xander said. 

“You won’t,” Daniel said.

“How do you know?” Xander asked.

“Because you don’t really know how to fail,” Daniel said.

Xander snorted in disbelief. “Uh, have you met me? I’ve accomplished very little. I barely graduated high school with a C average,” he said. “That was mainly ‘cause of Willow.”

“What I know is that you spent four years taking classes with her that was advanced and still managed to pass,” Daniel said. “You never strove for excellence the way she does—it wasn’t important to you. But when the safety of your girls is at stake, you find a way to do what needs to be done. When a job in repairs or your job site need done, you find a way. Right?”

Xander nodded. Maybe he had a point, but he still felt scared. “I don’t know if I’m cut out for the military,” he said.

“Well, maybe not,” Daniel said. “I’m not. Yet I carry a gun and go into combat way more than a guy with two doctorates should.”

Xander grinned. “I could be a consultant?” he wondered.

“I’m sure you could. If that’s what is best for you,” Daniel said. “But the military at SGC is not as rigid as regular army. You might be surprised. So far Landry seems very bit as practical and dependable as General Hammond was. I think you’ll like him.”

A short time later, Xander felt Daniel was right. General Landry seemed happy to have Xander on his base, which caught Xander off guard. The feeling that he didn’t belong there began to ease.

Daniel passed him off to Sam. He was meeting Jack the next day for whatever Jack had planned for him. 

“It’s good to see you, Xander,” Sam said, giving him a warm smile. “Are you settled in yet?”

“I am,” Xander said. 

“So, I figured the best way to get started is to see where you are at,” she said.

Xander winced. “Does that mean tests?” he asked.

“I’m afraid so,” she said.

He groaned but took a seat at the table. The tests were in math and science. It took him almost two hours. When he was done, he sighed in relief.

Sam brought him a soda and a Twinkie.

Xander grinned. “You are a goddess among mortals,” he said.

“I heard that this was your favorite treat,” Sam said with a smile.

She looked at his test results while he waited anxiously. “So how bad is it? Too dumb for SGC?” he asked flippantly, making light of it.

“Of course not,” she said. “In fact, your scores are slightly above average for a student who has no college and not been to school in a few years.”

“Really?” Xander asked, surprised.

“Really,” she said. “Don’t call yourself dumb. You’re not. You just have never applied yourself. Probably because it never mattered before.”

“That makes sense,” he said.

A knock on the door interrupted them. “Sam,” Vala said. She smiled winsomely at Xander. “Who’s your very cute friend?”

“Vala, this is Xander Harris,” Sam introduced. “He’s best friends with Daniel’s daughter Buffy.”

“The one who is in the Pegasus Galaxy?” Vala asked.

“News travels fast,” Xander commented, standing to greet her with a handshake.

“I don’t know about that, but I tend to eavesdrop,” she said with a grin.

Xander laughed, liking the older sexy woman.

“My Daniel hasn’t mentioned you, but I did meet his youngest daughter and the girls,” Vala said. “We had quite an adventure searching for Merlin’s treasure.”

“Oh, that was you?” Xander asked, frowning.

“No harm done. We’re not linked like we were,” she said quickly.

“Vala, I’m working with Xander now. How about we catch up with you later?” Sam suggested.

“Fine. Ruin my fun. Daniel is still a bit annoyed with me,” Vala said. “I don’t know why I’m responsible for crazy Ori priest incinerating people for very little reason.”

Xander’s eyes widened in alarm. “What?” he asked.

“Goodbye, Vala,” Sam said firmly. “Try to remember that just because someone is at this base, it doesn’t mean they are cleared for information about everything.”

She flashed an apologetic smile and sauntered out the door.

“You know, I didn’t really understand what the word sauntered really meant until just now,” Xander said in bemusement.

Sam laughed, understanding exactly what he meant.

_******A Few Hours Later*****_

Eventually, the afternoon accumulated in a pick-up game of basketball. Vala ogled them from the sidelines, trying to distract them with a running commentary. Xander was enjoying playing with Cam and Daniel and a few others when the lights flared, and an alarm was heard.

He stopped playing. “What’s going on?” he asked.

“That’s our sign that someone is arriving through the stargate,” Daniel explained.

“Can I watch?” Xander asked.

“We’re too far from it to get there in time,” Daniel said.

They continued playing until General Landry came in announcing the arrival of some guy named Nerus, which freaked out Vala for some reason.

“You cannot trust him! Don’t deal with him. You’ll regret it!” she warned.

“Xander, I’m going to have someone take you home. We’ll probably be a while,” Daniel told him. “Take care of our girls.”

“Sure thing,” Xander said, wishing he could know who this Nerus guy who had the flirting beauty so agitated.

Two hours later, Dawn came home from school, happy and excited to tell her dad all about the new friend she’d made. When Xander told him that he was at work, probably stuck for a while, she felt a crushing disappointment.

“Don’t worry, Dawn. I’m sure he’ll be home tonight,” Tara said, hugging her. 

“So how was school?” Willow said.

Dawn told her, but it wasn’t the same. No one looked at her with the same look of pride and love that her dad always did. It was funny how quickly she’d gotten used to having a father in her life again.

She was getting ready for bed when her dad called.

“Dawn, how was school?” he asked.

“It was great! When are you coming home? I want to tell you all about this friend I made today!” she said excited to get to tell him.

“That’s wonderful, sweetheart,” Daniel said. “I can’t wait to hear about it. Unfortunately, we have a situation. A really bad one. I can’t get away.”

“Oh,” Dawn said, disappointed. “Well, I can tell you tomorrow.”

“I can’t promise that,” Daniel said regretfully. “This could take a few days to resolve.”

“But you’ll figure it out? Things will be okay?” she asked, feeling scared.

“I hope so, baby. I really hope so,” Daniel said. “I love you.”

“I love you, too,” she said, fighting tears.

Daniel felt guilty as he disconnected and sent a text to Xander. He didn’t want to answer questions. How could he lie about the very real possibility of an Ori invasion? He’d seen firsthand what the Ori could do. Just one priest had enslaved a village. An entire armada of Ori soldiers was a terrifying thought.

As for Dawn, she told Willow what her dad said and then crawled into her bed. She glanced at the photo she kept on her night stand. It was of her and Buffy with her mother—her favorite picture. She picked it up. The desire to see Buffy was so strong. Finding out she was still alive was an incredible gift. Buffy was okay, safe. Sure, she was like a billion miles away, but she was alive. Unlike her mother, she still had a body. One day, Dawn would get to hug her and annoy her. 

Dawn drifted to sleep, thinking about Buffy and what this Pegasus galaxy could possibly look like. She was very grateful that her dad got permission to share where exactly Buffy was. Leave it to her sister to be found at the mythical city of Atlantis.

“I wonder if it’s underwater?” Dawn wondered. “Are there mermaids?”

Suddenly, she was no longer in her bedroom. “Who are all these people?” she thought as she looked around. It was some type of cafeteria. Everyone was wearing a uniform of some kind. Some guys were dressed in fatigues like they were military.

She heard a familiar laugh and froze, turning toward the sound. There sitting next to a very large man with dreadlocks was Buffy. Dawn gasped in disbelief. “Buffy!” she yelled.

Her sister looked up. “Dawn?” she asked, gaping. Then she stood.

It was her. Her sister was alive, and she was coming toward her.

_*****To Be Continued*****_

_So I’m doing something with Dawn in this story that’s a bit different. The episode from season 9 SG-1 that’s referenced is episode 6, “Beachead.” I don’t want to simply retell all the events of the two shows, but I don’t want to pretend the world of SG-1 isn’t going on as normal. That Daniel has a family and responsibilities outside SGC is my own spin._


	7. Through Space and Time

_*****Where We Left off*****_

Buffy couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Was it a hallucination? Then Ronon stood and said, “Who’s that girl?”

Relief fill her as she replied, “So you see her, too? I’m not imagining that my sister is here?”

“Your sister?” John asked, confused.

“How could your sister suddenly appear in this galaxy? It’s impossible!” Rodney scoffed.

“Well, there she is,” Buffy pointed as Dawn moved toward. Buffy moved to meet her. However, when Dawn threw herself into Buffy’s arms, she felt nothing.

Confused, Buffy turned around. “What the hell?” she asked.

“Buffy, what’s happening?” Dawn asked, scared.

“I don’t know, Dawn,” Buffy said. “Are you really here?”

John held out his hand to touch the girl who had just phased through Buffy. His hand went through her. “It’s like she’s a hologram projection,” he observed.

“I’m not a hologram!” Dawn insisted, glaring.

“I can definitely tell that the girl is a relative of yours!” Rodney commented, recognizing that familiar glare.

“I just said she was,” Buffy said dryly.

“Buffy, where are you?” Dawn asked.

“You are in the cafeteria on Atlantis, where I am at. These are Stargate people like the ones Dad works with,” Buffy said.

“Don’t go telling your teenage sister classified information!” Rodney warned.

“Didn’t I tell you that you aren’t the boss of me?” Buffy said coolly.

Rodney gave John a beseeching look. “Buffy, this is a top-secret mission,” John told her.

“Well, too bad. My sister only speaks to my dad, who goes on a lot of top secret missions, and my friends, who have been to Stargate Command by now I’m sure,” Buffy said.

Dawn nodded. “We totally have. We met this alien named Vala. She stuck these magical bracelets on Dad, not realizing that it psychically bonded them. They totally couldn’t be away from each other without getting sick. Then we have this whole treasure hunt with Merlin the Magician. Did you know he was like a real person? He was totally a real wizard, too. He even looked like Dumbledore from _Harry Potter_!” Dawn shared excitedly. “Dad said he’s an Ancient. They had this whole language. Dad’s been teaching me. It’s not much different from Sumerian, so it’s easy.”

“Now this is definitely Dr. Jackson’s kid,” John murmured to Rodney.

“How old are you?” Rodney asked her.

“I don’t tell strange men my age,” Dawn said, a stubborn look on her face.

Buffy laughed. “Dawn, these are my new friends. That’s Rodney, he’s like the Wesley of the group. Too smart for his own good but with a stick up his ass,” she introduced. Everyone laughed while Rodney protested. “That’s John, the military leader on the base. He’s like Xander. That’s Teyla, whose gentle manner reminds me of Tara, but she’s a good fighter. The Riley in the group is Lieutenant Lorne.” She patted Ronon’s arm, smiling up at the man who towered over her. “This guy is why Mom sent me here, I think. His name is Ronon, and he was running from these space vampires that I saved him from. He’s like me.”

Dawn tried to take in the information dump and blinked. Then she nodded. “Mom sent you here?” she asked.

“I think so. I don’t recall everything. I just remember that I did see her,” Buffy said. “I woke up naked in the woods on this planet. Then I killed two space vamps that spotted me.”

“You fought naked? I’m so telling Dad!” Dawn said with a grin.

“Hey, it’s not my fault I fell through that portal and probably died,” Buffy said defensively.

“Dad says that you ascended and was brought back,” Dawn shared. “It’s what happened to him before.”

“That’s what I said,” Rodney said smugly.

“So how did you get here, Dawn?” Buffy asked.

“Tell us what you remember,” John advised.

“Well, I was going to bed, and I was missing you. I wished that I could see you,” Dawn said.

“Did you say the W word?” Buffy asked in alarm.

“The W word?” Rodney asked, confused.

“W-i-s-h,” Buffy spelled. “We don’t say that word anymore since Dawn made a wish to a vengeance demon last year and got us trapped in our house. Of course, Cordy made a wish to Anya, Xander’s girlfriend back when she was a vengeance demon two years before that. It nearly destroyed the world as we knew it. She had to destroy Anya’s power center to undo the wish, which is how Anya is now human.”

“Oh, for crying out loud!” Rodney protested. The things Buffy said were too fantastical to be real. How could she expect him to believe this stuff?

“Shut up, Rodney,” John told him.

“She can’t expect us to believe this crap?” Rodney asked.

“Hey, it’s true! We lived on a hellmouth. Lots of strange things happened like zombies and hellhounds and a hell god, who want to use my blood to open up portals to other worlds!” Dawn said.

“Don’t mind Rodney,” Buffy said, glaring at the head scientist. “He is a small-minded man, who can’t accept anything that doesn’t fit his world view.”

Rodney took a sharp breath as her insult hit home. He started to protest when John elbowed him. “Not the time, Rodney,” John said threw clenched teeth. Rodney knew he had a point, so he closed his mouth. Her insult stung, however, so he fell into a hurt pout.

“So your blood can open portals?” John asked. “Do you think that’s why you’re here? Did you open a portal?”

Dawn looked shocked at the suggestion. “I don’t know how to do that! I so didn’t cut myself!” she insisted. “I still got scars from when that doc guy used my blood to open all the dimensions on Earth. I would never try that! I swear!” She gave Buffy a pleading look.

“I believe you, Dawn,” Buffy said. “You only did the self-cutting that one time, and Mom and I knew you were upset to find out about your keyness.”

“Well, you’d be upset to find out that you weren’t real! That some monks made you out of your sister and gave everyone fake memories!” Dawn protested.

Buffy winced, glancing at the group as they hung onto her every word. Although her new friends seemed great, she didn’t like sharing Dawn’s creation with anyone. It was too risky. She glanced at Rodney, who simply looked puzzled. A mad scientist wanting to do experiments on her sister so wasn’t happening!

“How about we not blab all our business to people I barely know?” Buffy suggested. She gave her new friends an apologetic look. “Sorry, guys, but I don’t risk my sister’s welfare for anyone.”

“We’d never harm your sister, Buffy,” John said, slightly offended.

“That’s correct,” Teyla said.

“I think we should go see Elizabeth,” John said. “As base commander, she has a right to know when there are unauthorized visitors here.”

Buffy gave him a sour look. “She’s not actually here, John,” she pointed out.

“Well, she’s here enough to interact with us,” he pointed out.

Dawn heard a voice calling her. She looked around and didn’t see anyone. Then she heard it again and recognition registered. “Dad’s calling me. I gotta go,” she said.

“Wait!” Buffy said, not wanting her to leave. “I don’t want you to go!”

“I’ll see if I can figure out how I’m doing this. Sam is wicked smart. Maybe she can help, too,” Dawn said. She heard a knocking. “I’ll tell Dad you’re doing great. We miss you so much.”

Buffy’s eyes filled with tears. “I miss you. Everyone,” she said. Then her sister was gone.

“Well, that was different,” John said. He gave Buffy a concerned look. “Are you okay?”

Buffy wiped her eyes. “I’m fine,” she said. She leaned against Ronon, trying to absorb his strength. He put his arm protectively around her.

“It’s good that you saw your sister even if she can’t reappear,” Ronon said. “You know she’s fine, and now she really knows you are.”

“That has to relieve your friends and family,” Teyla added, wanting to comfort her new friend. She understood what it was like to feel so different from the Earthlings. Buffy Summers may be from the same planet as everyone else on Atlantis, but her gifts set her apart the way Teyla’s did. People looked at her with both awe and suspicion just like they did Teyla when they found out she had Wraith DNA.

“Let’s go talk to Elizabeth,” John said. Rodney and Buffy went with him. Of course, Ronon wasn’t about to leave Buffy’s side no matter how Rodney tried to get him to leave.

“He’s not a senior staff member,” Rodney said when they made it to Weir’s office door.

“It doesn’t matter, Rodney,” John said. He was going to have to talk to Elizabeth about Rodney. The new residents were beginning to look at him with real hostility and not just the normal irritations that Rodney normally inspired. He couldn’t make Buffy and Ronon accept Rodney. John knew how maddening the man could be. It was only after Rodney saved his life over and over and Atlantis that John began to appreciate the man. There was a reason Rodney was so arrogant—he really _was_ the smartest man in any room. Unlike Samantha Carter, though, Rodney didn’t know how to discipline his mouth. Because Rodney wasn’t military, he’d never had to learn to be tactful at all times. To speak only when necessary. Of course, Rodney’s arrogance and intelligence weren’t the only things about him. He was a loyal friend, who could be trusted to have your back in a fight. Sometimes, John was genuinely fond of the man.

“Buffy’s upset. I’m not leaving her alone,” Ronon said stubbornly.

“It’s fine,” John said, knocking on Elizabeth’s door. “Time to catch her up to speed.”

***** _Earth*****_

“Dawn!” Daniel said for the fifth time. He was worried because she wasn’t waking up.

Finally, she opened her eyes. “Buffy!” she called out.

“Dawn, are you okay?” he asked, peering down at her.

She sat up and gave him a brilliant smile. “Dad, I saw Buffy! I was there!” she said excitedly.

“In your dream?” he asked, smiling. It’d been too long since he’d seen her wake up with this level of happiness.

“No, I was there!” Dawn exclaimed. “I went to bed thinking about her, and then suddenly I was at Atlantis. I met her new friends and everything!”

“What?” Daniel asked, straightening up.

“Somehow, I was there. But not physically,” Dawn said. “They said it was like I was a hologram. I couldn’t touch anyone, but they saw me like I was there. I could see them.”

When she listed off the people Daniel knew to be in Atlantis, he knew she was telling the truth since he had never told her any names associated with Atlantis. “You saw Buffy? She is really alive? Was she okay?” he asked.

Dawn nodded. “She totally was. She has this giant hot guy protecting her—Ronon. She said that she saved him from space vampires,” Dawn said excitedly. She shared all the things she’d seen and heard with her father. Then after she got dressed and was eating breakfast, she told the story all over again to everyone.

“That’s incredible!” Willow said.

“It’s good to know for sure that she is alive and well,” Tara said.

“Unless your dream was just really vivid,” Xander said.

“No, I don’t think she was dreaming,” Daniel said. “She named people that I personally know are there. There’s no way that she could know that stuff.”

“How did do you think this happened?” Dawn wondered.

“It’s gotta be ‘cause of you being the key, right?” Xander asked.

“You know we never really explored what that means,” Willow said thoughtfully. “I mean before we were just terrified of you being used by Glory.”

“Yes,” Tara agreed. “She existed in an ancient and powerful form. They bent reality to create a new form. There has to be something of the key’s power in Dawn.”

“Well, according to The Law of Conservation of Mass the key’s innate composition has to exist still, somehow,” Willow said. “The law states that in any closed system the amount of mass will remain constant over time. This means that matter can neither be created nor destroyed.”

Tara nodded. “It’s the same with the Law of Conservation of Energy. Energy can only change forms, not be destroyed. The Key was basically that—energy,” she said.

“We should take her to Sam. Let her run some tests,” Daniel said. When Dawn looked distressed at the idea, he sought to reassure her. “This is Sam, honey. You can trust her.”

“She’s got that big brain, after all,” Xander said, grinning.

“All right,” Dawn agreed. “Maybe Sam can get me back there!”

***** _SGC*****_

While Dawn and Daniel were busy with Sam, Xander worked on some of the work that she had given him for the week. After an hour, General O’Neill came to the conference room he was working at.

“How’s it going?” he asked Xander.

“Good,” Xander said.

“Wanna take a break from books and do some practical stuff?” he asked.

“Sure,” Xander said, brightening. “What did you have in mind?”

“Well, SG-8 is doing some training in the floor above us. I think you could join them,” Jack said.

“Sounds great,” Xander said, excited to see some real action. He hated to admit that spending the last five years fighting had so deeply affected him. Although he didn’t have slayer energy or gifts, he did feel like something was missing from his life.

An hour later, Jack was grinning when Teal’c arrived from his trip back home. “How was it?” he asked Teal’c. He was watching SG-8 maneuver from a balcony view. The large area below was set up as a training ground for the teams.

Teal’c looked grim. “It went poorly. I no longer have the trust of my people,” he said.

“What?” Jack asked in surprise.

“Gerak is calling the shots,” Teal’c shared. “The Jaffa believe his wisdom is greater than my own.”

“After all you did for them?” Jack asked, pissed on his friend’s behalf.

“He managed to imprison Ba’al, the man that all Jaffa hate. Then he killed him. They see him as a hero,” Teal’c explained.

“Well, Gerak can’t lead his way out of a paper bag,” Jack said. “It won’t last.”

“I know,” Teal’c agree. “I just hope no more Jaffa lives are harmed during his leadership.”

“Let’s hope,” Jack said. 

“What is Alexander Harris doing with SG-8?” Teal’c asked as he noticed the young man below.

“I got him working a practice opt with them,” Jack said with a grin.

“How did he fare?” Teal’c asked.

“Great. Just like I knew he would,” Jack boasted. “Tim tried to sneak up on him, but Xander sensed him. Then he reacted with weapons three times faster than anyone on the team.”

“This is unsurprising as he has more combat experience than the members of SG-8 and is used to facing opponents with supernatural reaction speeds,” Teal’c said.

“Not to mention, working with Buffy,” Jack said. “Speaking of Buffy, Daniel brought Dawn in earlier. It seems that Dawn somehow projected into Atlantis.”

“How is that possible? She possesses not the Asgard transporter or a stargate,” he said.

“That’s what Sam is trying to figure out now,” Jack shared.

The SG-8 team were done and chatting. “Thanks, guys. You looked great!” Jack called down to the team.

He and Teal’c moved down the stairs to greet the team in person. While Jack spoke to the team leader, Teal’c greeted Xander.

“Hello, Alexander Harris. Jack says you performed quite well with SG-8,” Teal’c said.

Xander grinned. “He did?” he said, a note of surprise.

“Why does that surprise you?” Teal’c wondered. “You have more combat experience than these men. Indeed, you have more than most of the teams except for SG-1.”

“But they’re like trained soldiers!” Xander said.

“Have you not the memories and training of a trained solider?” Teal’c asked.

“I did. Now it’s mostly vague impressions—bits and pieces,” Xander said.

“I think you retained more than you realize,” Teal’c said.

“He’s right,” Jack added. “You move with the vigilance and stealth of a trained solider.”

“Stealth was kind of needed on a hellmouth,” Xander pointed out.

“Would Willow demonstrate the same skills?” Teal’c countered. “She’s seem as much combat as you.”

“More probably,” Xander said.

“Yet she does not have the vigilance or the stealth that you do,” Teal’c said. “She depends on her magic to keep her safe while you depend on your senses.”

Xander blinked, trying to take in Teal’c’s words. Two men that he greatly admired thought he had skills. A warm glow filled him as he realized that no man ever complimented him for his physical abilities. His father sure hadn’t. He didn’t yet know if he wanted to be in the military or not, but he did like the way he felt when he was at the SGC. Maybe fighting aliens would be a could life for a former vampire slayer sidekick.

***** _Atlantis*****_

Elizabeth didn’t know what to think about what her team was telling her. “Your sister somehow projected herself from the Milky Way Galaxy to the Pegasus Galaxy. How is that possible?” she asked.

Buffy hesitated before deciding to be share her sister’s origin. She knew that her dad trusted these people and was probably telling his team about Dawn’s origins. “I don’t want this to be shared with the entire base, okay? My sister is everything to me, and I don’t want her origins shared with just anyone. It’s too dangerous,” she said.

“I can assure you that I will do my best to protect your secrets and make sure your sister is safe,” Elizabeth assured her. “Your father has done much for our planet, and no one would ever allow his daughter to be taken advantage of.”

Buffy nodded. Then she explained what she knew of her sister’s origin. Some of the story they knew because she’s already told them about Glory and opening a portal. Now, though, she gave them all the information. When she finished, she glared at Rodney. “Don’t you dare try to tell me that what I say is impossible or not real. I know what I lived and died for—even if Dad says I don’t actually die when I ascend—it’s the same thing to me. Hellmouths are real. Magic is real. So are vampires and demons. It’s not alien or another undiscovered species. Evil is real, and I fight it,” she said, looking at Rodney the entire time she gave her spiel.

“I didn’t say anything!” Rodney said defensively.

“You’ve said plenty,” Buffy said coolly.

“General O’Neill has confirmed your report, so we believe you,” Elizabeth said.

“Even if it defies all we know of Earth’s history,” Rodney couldn’t resist saying.

“You just don’t know the real history,” Buffy said with a shrug. “Giles has books you could read and explain stuff to you.”

“We look forward to learning more about it,” Elizabeth said with a diplomatic smile. “We will be getting our monthly provisions from SGC this week. I’m sure messages from your family with be forthcoming also.”

“If Dr. Jackson tells his team about his daughter’s ghostly presence here, I’m positive that Sam will do tests,” Rodney said. “She’ll figure it out.”

“Do you think your sister’s power could lead to her returning?” Elizabeth wondered.

“Think of all the power we could save if we had a way to get communications to SGC without using our ZPM!” Rodney said, excited at the thought. So, yea, the Summer sisters story was farfetched, but so were pyramids being used as an alien landing pad. He’d scoffed at Daniel’s paper when he’d read it before being in the know. He was wrong then. Maybe he was wrong now. How else could explain what he saw with his own two eyes? The girl _had_ been there.

“Dawn has never shown any magical abilities—not really,” Buffy said. “Sometimes, she helps Willow with small spells, but Will’s never said that she had any magical affinity.”

“Well, we’ll have to wait and see if she appears again,” Elizabeth said. “In the meantime, John, you have a mission scheduled for tomorrow.”

“I was thinking we could bring Ronon and Buffy on it,” John suggested.

“I want to stick around here in case Dawn comes again,” Buffy said. “Besides, I have all those toys the Atlanteans left me.”

“We call them Lanteans,” Rodney told her.

“Okay,” Buffy said, rolling her eyes.

“Teyla wants to go to the Belkans to foster trade relations with them,” John said. “Maybe Ronon can accompany her.”

“That is fine,” Elizabeth said. “If he is ready, then he came join them.”

They all rose to leave when she asked John to stay behind. Rodney followed Buffy out the door. When she started to walk away, he reached out to stop her. “Buffy, can I have a minute?” he asked.

Ronon looked unhappy, but Buffy stepped away from him. “What is it?” she asked impatiently.

“I know we’ve gotten off to the wrong foot,” he said to her. “I know that’s mostly my fault.”

“Mostly?” Buffy said dryly.

“Okay, it is my fault,” Rodney admitted. “I don’t accept change easily. Or things that defy what I’ve been taught. But I’m enough of a student of history to know that the smartest minds once thought the Earth was flat and that our planet was the center of the universe. They were wrong.”

“Just like you,” Buffy said with a smug grin. She could be easy on the man, but he’d been unbearable since she arrived. Her nature wasn’t submissive to begin with, and Rodney pushed all her buttons.

“Fine,” Rodney said, rolling his eyes. “Anyway, I’m sorry. I’ll try to be less abrasive, but it’s my default.”

Buffy smiled. “I might just have to start calling you Cordelia. She was the most abrasive person I knew back home,” Buffy said.

“What?” Rodney asked as Buffy just looked smug. Then she turned, joining Ronon and walked down the hall, ignoring Rodney.

As for Ronon, he didn’t want to go on a mission without her. When they were alone in their room, he shared his displeasure.

“Ro, I’ll be fine. What could happen to me here?” Buffy said, grinning up at him. He was like her own protective teddy bear. “You’re the one that will be in danger leaving _my_ side!”

Ronon wanted to scoff at that suggestion, but he really got how deadly the petite woman really was. He didn’t quite understand her mystical calling—it sounded insane. But he knew fighters, and he had never met one as fierce and capable as Buffy. If she was unleased on the Wraith, he had no doubt they’d suffer a great loss. He knew it was only a matter of time before Buffy aimed herself in that direction. As she had told him more than once, a slayer was a weapon meant to kill evil.

There was nothing more evil than the Wraith—not in the Pegasus Galaxy. Soon, Ronon’s most hated enemy will learn to fear this small human.

“If anything happens to you while I’m gone, I’ll be very grumpy,” he said sourly.

Buffy laughed. “Because normally you’re a great ball of sunshine?”

She had to know that he had known only darkness since the death of his family. She was the only sunshine he knew, and he was reluctant to leave her side. However, they had to find a place with these people. They seemed nice enough, and Buffy was happy.

He would be satisfied with that. 

_*****Chapter End******_


	8. Lightsabers and Portals

_*****Colorado*****_

Due to the rising threat of the Ori, Daniel had gotten permission to read Tara and Willow in on them and the threat the represented. Of course, Vala had already mentioned them after the horrific burning she and Daniel had experienced when their consciousness was in two villagers on an Ori controlled planet. Willow and Tara had been researching historical accounts of religious coups throughout history. The Crusades were the most well-known, but the more modern day Islamic extremist also mirror the tactics.

“Fear,” Willow said. “It’s always about fear. They use fear to keep people in place much like Stalin or Hitler did long ago.”

“Yes,” Tara agreed. “But they also get the people to worship them. That seems to be what’s behind their systematic conquering of worlds.”

“Do you think that there is power from the people’s worship?” Willow wondered. 

“That’s interesting,” Tara said, scrolling through a book, looking for something similar.

“It’s just I remember something Giles said about some deities dying out in influence and power due to lack of followers,” Willow said. “What if prayers actually impower these Ori people?”

“That’s really disturbing,” Tara said. “That means that their zeal isn’t motivated by religious fervor, which is dangerous enough. They’re driven by a hunger for power.”

“And we know that leads to the bad,” Willow said. Then she closed her book. “It’s time for me to head to SG. I have to go pick up Dawnie from school and then take her there. Sam’s doing more tests on her to see if they can duplicate what happened when she saw Buffy.”

“It’s the blood, you know,” Tara said.

“What?”

“Dawn’s blood opens portals,” Tara said. “If they want her to duplicate it, they will need to draw her blood and have her direct her thoughts to where she wants to go.”

“Do you think it’s as simple as that?” Willow wondered.

“Well, she was just missing Buffy and astral projected there,” Tara said. “Imagine what she could do if they used her blood.”

“I’ll bring it up,” Willow said. “But after what happened with Glory, I’m not sure that will go over so well.”

“It’s a lab, Will. No need to take a knife to her,” Tara pointed out. “Just use a needle to withdraw some blood and an eye dropper or something.”

“You’re so clever,” Willow said, leaning over to kiss her. Then she stood up. “I’ll see you later, sweetie.”

“Bye,” Tara said. “I’m going to take Xander out to that Mediterranean restaurant I saw down the street for dinner about six.”

“I’m sure we’ll eat on base,” Willow said.

“That’s what I figured,” Tara said with a smile. It was rare for her to spend time with Xander without someone else, but he was like a real brother to her. She looked forward to spending time with him.

_*****Atlantis*****_

Buffy was happy for her friend. Ronon had come back from a mission and had met people from his planet. To know that people had survived Sateda’s destruction meant everything to him. Buffy couldn’t imagine how she’d survive knowing all of Earth was destroyed. The concept boggled the mind.

“I cannot believe that rat Kell survived,” he muttered.

“Well, you took care of him,” Buffy pointed out. She was a bit disturbed that he’d just kill someone in cold blood.

Ronon had grown sensitive to her moods, though, and felt her withdraw. “He led thousands of my people to their death,” he said.

Buffy nodded. “Yes, I know. You told me,” she said.

“But you don’t like that I killed him,” Ronon stated, feeling a bit betrayed.

“Well, he wasn’t trying to attack you, right?” Buffy asked.

“No, but he deserved to die for what he did,” Ronon said angrily.

“Maybe,” she said nodding. “But do you have the right to be judge, jury, and executioner?”

Ronon stood up, giving her a look of disappointment. “You know all the judges from my planet are dead,” he said coldly. “I was a military leader. I am the only one left to dispense justice.”

“But he was human,” Buffy said, having a hard time seeing his viewpoint.

“So was that guy you told me about on your planet that caused eleven million people to die,” Ronon said. “If you saw him standing before you, would you let him live?”

Buffy really didn’t know and tried to put herself in his shoes. However, her hesitation hurt him, and he left the room.

“Way to go, Buffy. You hurt your best friend in this galaxy,” she muttered to herself. Times like this, she was really missing Xander. He never walked away from her in a huff.

_*****A Few Hours Later*****_

Buffy finished her video that John said would get sent home when they did their monthly supply and info exchanged. Bored, she decided to go play with her ancient toys the Lanteans had left her. When she got to her room, she saw Rodney there running some tests.

“Hey,” she said. “Whatcha doing?”

“Just running tests. I have the ancient gene, so I’m seeing which things react to me, and which ones don’t,” he said. He picked up something that was palm-sized. “This one doesn’t.”

“Let me see it,” Buffy said, holding out her hand.

“If it won’t work for me, it won’t work for you,” he said in annoyance. He came in here to hide since he’d accidentally destroyed a planet and the surrounding solar system. Although the planet seemed devastated and lifeless, he didn’t know for sure there was no life. Nor did he know anything about the surrounding planets. Ronon was proof that a person could survive a devastated ecosystem.

“Give me,” Buffy ordered.

Rodney rolled his eyes but slammed it into her hand. When Buffy held it up, examining it, he scoffed. “What you think you’re going to do what I couldn’t? It doesn’t work that way,” he informed her.

Buffy smirked at him and hit the side where she’d detected a slight bump. A barely detectible shield came out of it. “Oh my God! What is this?” she asked, confused by the transparency.

“It looks like a shield,” he said. “How did you do that?”

“I pushed the button,” she said. She pushed it again, and the shield went away.

“Let me try,” he said. “Where is the button? I must’ve missed it.”

Buffy pointed right to it, and he nodded, pushing it. Nothing happened, so he pushed it again. “I don’t understand. It worked for you, so it should work for me,” he said. “I better get John down here. Maybe it only reacts to those born with the gene. How it could know that, though, is strange.” He was lost in thought, and Buffy smirked. Sometimes, he did remind her of Giles, and she felt a pang of homesickness.

“Maybe it’s meant for a slayer or someone like me,” Buffy pointed out.

Rodney didn’t like that, but he didn’t feel like arguing. Instead, he called on his comms for John to come to the room.

Buffy took it out of his hand and activated it again. “We totally got to test this!” she said. “I’ll go back to my room and get my sword!”

Grinning, she skipped away, leaving a relieved Rodney. 

Ronon saw her walking out of their room with a sword and stopped her. “What’s happening?” he asked.

“Oh, I’m going to use this sword to test my new shield I have!” she said excitedly. “Do you wanna come and play with me?”

Ronon looked down at her in bemusement. How did a girl so deadly still find a way to be so innocent sometime? “Sure,” he said, smiling at her.

Buffy grinned and reached out for his hand. “I’m sorry, Ronon, for upsetting you,” she said, surprising him. “I don’t have any right to past judgement on you. It’s just that I’ve been trained for years to leave human monsters to human laws, so that I don’t become a killer. Faith, one of the slayers who was called after I drowned for a minute, accidentally killed a human once, and it messed with her head.”

“It’s okay,” he said, not liking being at odds with her.

“No, it’s not,” she said. “I hurt you, and I didn’t mean to. Forgive me?”

“Yes,” he said, and he accepted her hug.

She picked up his hand again and pulled him along to the corridor where her room of goodies were at.

When they got there, John was there bickering with Rodney. “I did exactly what you told me to do!” John said in annoyance.

“You gotta be doing something wrong, John,” Rodney said.

“I’m not an idiot, Rodney,” John said, glaring. “I know how to push a damn button—no matter how small it is!”

“I told you that it was mine,” Buffy said. “Give it to me!”

She held out her hand to John, who placed it there. Then she activated the shield, flashing Rodney a smug grin. “Told you! This stuff is meant for _me_!”

“That makes no sense! Some of this stuff, we can activate,” he argued.

“Yea, well, contrary to what you think, you don’t know everything,” Buffy said. 

“I think Rodney has recently realized that, right, Rodney?” John said. He was still pissed that Rodney’s ego led to such destruction. The man was brilliant, no doubt. However, his hubris often got in the way of reason, and that’s what led to an entire solar system being destroyed.

Rodney gave him a sour look but said nothing.

“Wow, Rodney’s learned some humility? How did that happen?” Buffy wondered.

“You didn’t hear?” John asked. “He decided he could do what the Lanteans couldn’t and set up a chain of events that led to the destruction of a planet and its entire solar system.”

Buffy’s eyes widened, and she looked at Rodney, who looked sick. “Man, that sucks,” she said, giving him a sympathetic look. “Were there people on the planet?”

“We don’t think so,” John said. “There were no signs of life.”

“Well, that’s good,” Buffy said. “I’m sorry, Rodney.”

Rodney was surprised at her genuine sympathy. “Thanks,” he said.

Buffy looked at Ronon. “So attack me with the sword,” she said.

Ronon stepped a few feet away from her and got ready to swing the sword, much to Rodney’s dismay.

“Wait a minute!” Rodney said, putting his hand in front of Ronon. “We haven’t even done any preliminary tests on the shield. You could hurt her.”

“No, I won’t,” Ronon said. He got into position and was about to swing again.

Rodney gave John a pleading look, and John held up his hand. “How about you give me the sword and let me stab it to make sure that it _is_ a real shield,” John said.

“Well, I suppose that’s a good idea,” Buffy said. “But not nearly as much fun!”

“God, save me from superheroes,” John muttered.

“Hey, there’s no tights on me!” Buffy said with a cheeky grin.

“Lay it here on the counter,” John ordered. Buffy did, and he tried to stab the almost transparent shield.

It wasn’t like hitting a metal shield because there was a slight give, but it definitely worked like one.

“See, it’s fine,” Buffy said. She picked it back up. “We need to see how great of a shield it is. Come at me, Ro.”

They got into position again, and Ronon swung his blade at half-speed. The shield bounced it back.

“That was a wuss hit,” Buffy complained. “You can do better than that.”

Ronon nodded. She was right, but he was caution, not wanting to hurt her. This time, he swung the blade much harder, and Buffy lifted the shield. It held.

“Now try stabbing it,” Buffy said.

Ronon watched as Buffy held out the shield slightly away from her body, and he stabbed hard, the sword bouncing back.

“It’s great!” Buffy said satisfied. She turned to John. “Now you need to shoot with your gun.”

“Not with you holding it,” John said. 

“Good point,” she said, and she sat it on the table prompted against a ledge. “There.”

“Stop! It could ricochet!” Rodney pointed out.

“So, I’ll sit it here next to this wall here,” she said as she grabbed it and moved it again. “We’ll go stand in the doorway while you shoot it!”

John considered it and shrugged. “Okay,” he agreed when he couldn’t think of a better way to test the shield. His bullet bounced off and hit the back wall.

“Cool!” Buffy said, clapping excitedly. Then she looked around the room. “What else can we play with?”

“We should test out the glow stick,” Ronon said. “See how it holds up against a sword.”

Buffy’s eyes lit up. “That’s a great idea!” she exclaimed, going to the table. Then she opened a drawer, pulling out a hand sized cylinder. “Every American kid and probably most of Earth has always wanted to try their very own lightsaber!”

She looked at the cylinder and thought how much she wanted it to come on, and the blue blade was out. “I so love this! I can’t wait to kill something with it!” she said excitedly.

“Why did the shield have a button, but that doesn’t?” John wondered.

“It might be why some of the stuff responds only to Buffy,” Ronon said.

“But how does it know by her touch? No fingerprint has been programmed into anything,” Rodney said, puzzled.

“The lady said the room was for me,” Buffy said shrugged. “Not everything can be explained by science, you know.”

“No, I don’t,” Rodney said.

Buffy went behind Ronon and picked him up in her arms, bridal style. Ronon glared at her as he wrapped his arm around her neck for balance. “Can science explain how I can do this?” she asked.

Rodney’s eyes bugged out at the sight of Buffy holding Ronon in her arms. He sputtered a response. John laughed. “Way to prove a point,” he said.

“Not everything can be proven by science,” Buffy said smugly.

Then a familiar female voice said, “Buffy?”

Buffy turned around, still holding Ronon in her arms and saw her sister once again. Except this time, she was on the other side of a small portal-like window. Her dad and Willow and Sam were standing by her.

Shocked, Buffy dropped Ronon. 

***** _Chapter End*****_


	9. How it Works

_*****Earth*****_

Vala joined Daniel, Dawn, Willow, and Samantha in a conference room with General Landry.

“General, Willow has suggested that we test Dawn’s blood to see how it might work to open the portal,” Sam was saying as she slipped into the room. 

“You’re okay with that?” he asked Dawn, glancing at Daniel.

“Well, I think it’s kind of messed up, but we can’t ignore my keyness forever,” Dawn said. “My blood is mystical or was when Glory used it. I don’t see why that would change. It’d be nice to be able to use it on my own, especially if it means we can get to Buffy.”

“Having someone with the ability to travel to the Pegasus galaxy would be a tremendous asset,” General Landry said. “However, I do not want to have the ability if it risks your health in anyway. “

“As long as the amount of blood taken is not excessive,” Daniel said, “I think it’ll be okay. From what the girls say, only a drop will be needed.”

“That’s what opened the portal in Sunnydale,” Dawn added.

“What about the Ori?” Vala asked. “What are we doing about them? They are taking over more planets.”

Sam spoke. “Dr. Lee and I have been working on plans to create a machine that will emit a type of field that would cancel out the Ori’s power,” she said.

“I think that I could help with that,” Willow said. “I know some spells that might magnify something like that.”

The general looked bemused. “I never thought I’d see a day when science and magic could work together,” he said. Then he glanced at Dawn. “Nor when a young woman’s blood could open portals. It is a wonderous day we live in, isn’t it?”

“I think so,” Daniel said. His world view had opened so much since he found out that he was a father.

“Well, keep me posted on both projects,” he said as he stood. “You’re dismissed.”

They leave and headed to medical where Dr. Lam was waiting for them. They had spoken to her about their plan, and she was okay with it as long as Landry signed off on it.

“Are you sure about this, sweetheart?” Daniel asked as they go to the medical wing.

“Yes,” Dawn said. “I have this weird thing inside of me. Glory used it to kill Buffy, but now we have a chance to use it to bring Buffy home.”

Daniel nodded. “Okay,” he said. 

Samantha and Willow spoke with Dr. Lam, who nodded. She looked at Dawn. “Dawn, if you’ll come sit here, we’ll get started.”

Dawn moved to the chair, feeling nervous but excited. Somehow, she just knew this was going to work. She would see Buffy today. 

“I’m going to withdraw a vial of blood,” Dr. Lam said, getting the needle ready. “If you’re afraid of needles, don’t look.”

Dawn had never had her blood withdrawn, so she couldn’t help but look. “That’s so gross!” she exclaimed. “Why’s it so dark? Is my blood like freaky blood or something? Freaky mutant blood.”

Dr. Lam smiled at her. “No, your blood is perfectly normal. Blood looks darker when it’s contained like this,” she said. “The fake blood you see on television is usually not the exact shade as real blood.”

“What’s the plan?” Willow asked.

“First, I want to analyze it under the microscope to see if it appears the same as normal blood,” Dr. Lam said. She took the blood sample to a table where her microscope was. Then put a drop on a slide. 

They waited as she looked at it. Finally, she said, “Sam, take a look at this.”

Samantha went to the microscope and looked. “The cells are too active. There is definitely something different about the blood,” she said.

“I wanna see,” Dawn said.

“Sure,” Sam replied.

“Here. Look at this slide,” Dr. Lam said. “This is what normal blood looks like.”

Dawn looked, fascinated. When Dr. Lam changed out the slides, she was blown away. “Wow! My blood is like supercharged! That’s so cool!” 

“I want to see,” Willow said. Dawn moved so that she could look at it. “That is very cool.”

“So how do you want to do this?” Dr. Lam asked.

“I think first we should see if the blood does anything for us,” Samantha said. She grabbed a dropper and let a drop of blood drop to the ground. Nothing happened.

“Well, that answers that,” Dr. Lam said.

“I think Dawnie has to do it,” Willow said. She looked at Dawn. “You were able to astral project to Buffy because you desired to see her. I think if you want to control your blood’s ability to open portals, you have to really think it. You have to want to go where she is.”

“I think we should start smaller,” Daniel said. “I’m going to go to the cafeteria. I want you to try to open a portal there to where I am.”

“That’s a good idea,” Dr. Lam said.

Willow walked with Daniel. “You know, Tara and I have been working on a spell to teleport,” she said. “I managed to teleport Glory, but we think eventually we should be able to do it with ourselves. It takes a lot of magical energy, however.”

“It would be quite a gift to develop,” Daniel said. “The ability to instantly transport is a sign of advanced societies. Thor won’t give us that technology, but we have scientist working on developing it. To do it with your magical abilities will be quite an accomplishment.”

Willow smiled, warmed by his praise. “I don’t know, though, that we could ever teleport to another galaxy,” she said. “There is a spell for portal making, though. We’ll work on that once we master teleporting.”

“Don’t do anything that could hurt yourself,” he said.

“Tara won’t let me,” Willow admitted. “I get so impatient, but she says that we can’t risk going too fast because that way leads to badness.”

“Tara is a wise woman,” Daniel said as they walked into the mess hall. “You should listen to her.”

Willow grinned and looked around. “So where do you think we should stand exactly?” she wondered.

“I think we should stand over there where there’s that open space away from the tables and trashcans,” Daniel said, pointing.

They walked over there and waited a few minutes. Willow jumped back, startled when a portal opened up in front of them. The soldiers in the room all stood, alarmed. “It’s okay!” Daniel assured them. “We’re just working on a new technology.” They sat back down. Most went back to eating, but a few watched as Daniel talked to his daughter.

It was like a small window. “You did it!” Willow said excitedly.

Dawn grinned. “It wasn’t hard at all. I just thought, ‘I wanna see Dad,’ and I took a drop of my blood and let it go right in front of me,” she explained. “And there you are!”

“Now, you need to make the portal bigger,” Willow said. 

Dawn frowned. “I don’t know how to do that,” she said.

“Just think, wider. Think, I need to get to where dad is,” Willow advised.

Dawn concentrated, thinking hard. Her eyes widened as the portal began to get bigger. “I did it!” she said proudly.

“Yes, you did,” Daniel said, smiling at her. “I’m very proud.”

“I think we should try something inanimate first,” Sam said on the other side of the portal. She looked for something and saw an apple. “Can I borrow your snack?”

“Sure,” Dr. Lam said.

Carter picked it up and tossed it to Daniel, who caught it without any damage. “It seems to be an open space,” she said.

“I can walk through it,” Dawn suggested.

“How about you let me?” Sam said. “I get paid to take risks.”

“Yes, let Sam do it first,” he said. “We don’t know if it closes automatically or what.”

Sam stepped through. “Well, it was easier than going through the stargate,” she said after she did. “I didn’t feel anything. It’s like she just opened up a doorway.”

“Okay, come through,” Daniel said to Dawn.

Eagerly, Dawn stepped through the portal. It closed behind her.

“Well, that answers that,” Daniel said.

“Not necessarily,” Willow said. “I think this ability is connected to her mentally. She has to consciously think that she wants to keep it open.”

“Let’s go back and try again,” Daniel said. “Willow, you stay here this time.”

“I could just do it here. Get me a knife,” Dawn suggested.

“No. You’re not going to be cutting yourself,” he said firmly.

“Fine,” she said. “Let’s go.”

They worked an hour, opening the portal throughout the base. It was exactly as Willow suggested. Dawn’s mind controlled the portal as the blood gave her the ability. Eventually, she could open a portal anywhere on base. She terrified Vala and startled Cameron when she opened one where they were. It worked when she thought of a specific place and when she didn’t know where they were exactly.

“So she can just think of a person and get to them?” Cameron asked after she appeared in his office.

Daniel nodded. “Yes. If she had a clear picture of the person in her mind,” he said.

“We need to try for Buffy now,” Dawn said.

“We can’t do that without Xander,” Willow said. “I’ll call Tara and have them come.”

“Fine,” Dawn said, reluctant to wait.

“You should take a break,” Sam suggested.

“Or, I should open a portal to where Tara is at and bring them here that way!” Dawn suggested.

“We can’t allow just anyone to know what we’re doing,” Daniel said.

“Yes, we need to know where they are,” Sam said. She looked at Willow, who was on her phone. “Willow, have them call when they are both at your house together. We’ll open a portal to them.”

Willow nodded and began explaining to Tara.

“We should try greater distances on Earth before we try anywhere else,” Sam said.

Xander wasn’t free for over an hour, so Sam and Willow went to work with Dr. Lee while Daniel went back to his office.

Eventually, though, Tara and Xander both were ready and called to tell them so. Willow and Samantha went and got Daniel and Dawn, returning to Dr. Lam’s office.

“Okay, now Dawn, I don’t want you to do anything impulsive,” Sam cautioned.

“What do you mean?” Dawn asked.

“What she means, honey, is that if this works, we don’t want you to jump through the portal to your sister,” Daniel said. “It’s going to be a long time before I allow you to go to another galaxy.”

Dawn looked disappointed but nodded. “All right,” she agreed.

Dr. Lam gave her a dropper with her blood. Dawn thought about her home and seeing Xander and Tara before she dropped the blood. Xander’s grinning face was soon on the other side of a portal.

“Hey, Dawnie! Look at you with your new portal opening powers!” Xander said, grinning.

“We want you and Tara to go ahead and step through the portal,” Daniel explained. “It’s perfectly safe as we’ve been working on it and tested it out several times.”

Tara nodded and was going to step through, but Xander protested. “I should go first in case something goes wrong,” he said.

“My hero,” Tara said with a fond smile.

Xander stepped through without preamble and hugged Dawn. “You’re so amazing!” he told her, making her blush.

“Come on, Tara,” Willow encouraged, motioning for her.

Tara stepped through, and the portal closed. “That’s incredible, Dawn,” she said, hugging her.

“Thanks,” Dawn said. “Dad says we can try Buffy now, but he doesn’t want me to go across.”

“Are you ready?” Daniel asked her.

“You can wait and do it another day,” Sam cautioned. “You’ve done a lot already today.” She was worried that Dawn would get discouraged if it didn’t work today for whatever reason.

“No, I’m ready,” Dawn said. “I want to try.” She gave her father a beseeching glance.

“Okay, if you’re sure,” he said, nodding to Dr. Lam. 

Dr. Lam handed Dawn the dropper again, and she took a deep breath and thought hard about Buffy and how much she wanted to see her. Then she dropped the blood.

The portal began to open. There she was—her sister.

“Buffy?” she called out and Buffy turned, holding the giant guy she’d introduced as Ronon.

“Dawn?” she said, dropping Ronon.

Buffy looked down at Ronon. “Oh, sorry,” she said, helping him up.

Daniel felt his eyes water as he gazed at his oldest. “Is that really you, Buffy?” he asked, stepping close to the portal.

“It’s me, Dad,” she said, feeling emotional at the sight of her friends and family. “Hi, guys!”

They waved at her, excited to see her whole and alive. “I knew you were faking with the being dead thing!” Xander called.

“Buffy, we tested this portal, so it’s safe for you to come through,” Daniel called out.

“I can?” Buffy asked. She looked up at Ronon, who was expressionless.

“Rodney, go get Elizabeth and bring her here,” John said quietly. “Be subtle. No need alarming anyone.”

“Just step through,” Dawn said. “Xander and Tara portaled to SG-1 without any problem.”

Buffy looked at Ronon, unsure. Then she looked back at her family. “Can I come back?” she asked.

“What do you mean?” Dawn asked. 

“I mean if I go home can I come back here?” she asked. “They’ve got these space vampires that I’m supposed to kill. I think that’s why Mom sent me here.”

“Mom? You saw Mom?” Dawn asked.

“Yea, I think I did. After I dropped in the portal,” Buffy said. “I don’t remember it clearly. She brought me to Ronon.” She reached out and grabbed his hand. “This is Ronon. Ronon, you remember Dawn.”

“Hello,” he said.

“That’s my dad, Dr. Daniel Jackson,” she introduced.

“Buffy, I’m coming to you then,” Daniel said, impatient to hug her and know that she was okay.

“I wanna go, too,” Xander said.

“Yea, me, too,” Willow said.

“It’s a secured base,” Daniel said. “I’m the only one with clearance as I was supposed to be on Atlantis once upon a time.”

“That’s totally not fair,” Xander said. 

“Can Dawn open the portal to a place that doesn’t have someone she loves?” Tara wondered. 

“We don’t know that yet,” Daniel said. “She got to Atlantis because Buffy’s there. If none of us there, she might have difficulty.”

“I bet I could,” Dawn said.

“It’s so good to see you all,” Buffy said, peering into the window. “Willow, your hair is longer. I like it. Hi, Tara. Where’s Anya, Xander?”

“She’s back in Sunnydale,” Xander said. “She didn’t want to leave the hellmouth or her money. She’s coming up in a few weeks for a visit.”

“Okay,” Buffy said.

“Daniel, you need to talk to General Landry before you step in a portal to another galaxy,” Sam cautioned. “I’ll go get him.”

John stepped forward. “Daniel, do you remember me? John Sheppard. We met briefly before we left Earth,” he said.

“Good to see you, John. Is it Lieutenant Colonel?” Daniel asked.

“It’s Major now,” John said.

“The General and Mitchell will be here soon,” Samantha said. 

Rodney stepped closer to the portal. “Elizabeth is on her way,” he said. He noticed Samantha Carter in the group on the other side and smiled. “Hello, Dr. Carter,” he said.

“Rodney,” she said. “How are you?”

“Okay,” he said.

“Hey, there’s an entire room here, Dad, that has weapons made just for me!” Buffy said happily. “We’re in the room right now.” She turned to Ronon. “Go grab my lightsaber on the table, so I can show them. Xander’s going to die.”

Ronon smiled indulgently at her and gave her the cylinder. Buffy grinned and turned back to the portal. “Check this out, Xan,” she said as she activated the laser sword that she called lightsaber.

Xander’s mouth fell open. “Oh my God!” he exclaimed. “Where did you get that? I want one! I’ll give you my first born!”

Buffy laughed. “Yes, it’s pretty cool. I can’t wait to use it on some Wraith!” she said.

“Is that what you call the space vamps?” Willow asked.

“Yes, they’re really ugly and suck the life force out of people with their hands,” Buffy shared.

The Scoobies were horrified. “That’s awful!” Dawn exclaimed.

General Landry and Colonel Mitchell appeared. “It worked,” Cameron said. “Kudos.”

Dawn grinned. “I told you I could get to another galaxy,” she said.

Landry moved forward and saw Sheppard. “Major. How is everything there on Atlantis?” he asked, smiling.

“Pretty great for the most part,” John said, smiling. “How about this?”

“It’s quite a surprise,” Landry said, giving Dawn a look of approval.

“Sir, I want to go through the portal,” Daniel said.

“You believe it is safe?” Landry asked.

“Yes,” Daniel said. “As you know, we’ve went through it several times. Xander and Tara came through from our house.”

“But this is another galaxy, Dr. Jackson,” Landry said. “You are too important to risk.”

“That’s ludicrous!” Daniel said.

“Let me go through,” Xander suggested. “I’m not important.”

“You are to us,” Willow said, frowning.

Landry considered it and looked at Mitchell who shrugged. “Fine, Xander. You may step through the portal,” he said. 

“I need to widen the portal,” Dawn said. She hadn’t kept a portal open this long before and was starting to feel the strain. However, the portal widened.

An excited Xander stepped through and launched himself at Buffy, who hugged him too tightly.

“Ribs breaking,” Xander gasped.

“Sorry,” Buffy said. She pulled back. “I can’t believe you’re here.”

“I can’t believe you’re really alive,” Xander said. “We thought we’d lost you.” 

“Okay, Xander, come on back,” Daniel called.

“But I just got here, Daniel. I’m in a freakin’ new galaxy!” Xander said, excited.

“This place is way cool, Xan. Wait ‘til you see the view from the deck,” she said. “Ronon, this is Xander. Xander, this is Ronon.”

Xander grinned up at the large man. “Wow, you’re tall!” he exclaimed. “Nice to meet you.”

Ronon held out his hand. “So you’re the guy that saved her life when she was sixteen?” Ronon said, shaking Xander’s hand.

“I guess,” he said, feeling embarrassed.

“Thanks for that,” Ronon said.

“Hello, Xander,” John said. “I’m John.”

Xander turned and shook his hand. “Nice to meet you, John.”

“Dad, I can’t hold the portal any longer,” Dawn said, feeling a wave of lethargy hit her. “It’s too much.”

“Come on, Xander,” Daniel called out. “Dawn needs to close the portal. The distance is too much to sustain for long.”

Xander turned back toward the portal, feeling wary. “What if it blinks out when I’m walking through it?” he asked.

“What’s going on?” Elizabeth asked, finally arriving into the room.

“Buffy’s sister somehow made a portal,” Rodney said. “Xander just came through it. Daniel wants to come through after he returns.”

Elizabeth stood in front of the portal and saw several people. Some she knew, and others she didn’t. “General Landry,” she said. “This is surprise.”

“It is that,” he said, smiling. “This is Dawn Summers, Daniel Jackson’s youngest. I believe you know her sister.”

“I’m sorry,” Dawn said. “I can’t hold it open anymore.”

The portal closed.

Xander stared at the disappearing portal. Then he looked at Buffy. “Oops,” he said. “I guess I missed my ride.”

***** _To Be Continued******_


	10. Bonds

Chapter 10: Bonds

_*****Earth*****_

Dawn sagged against her dad as the portal closed. “Sorry. I couldn’t hold it,” she said.

Daniel hugged her, kissing her head. “Don’t worry, sweetheart. You did an amazing thing,” he said. “We saw Buffy and know that she’s alive and doing well.” It was incredible.

Dawn grinned up at him. “I told you I could do it,” she said.

“You are amazing, Dawnie!” Tara said.

“I can’t believe Xander got to go to Atlantis,” Willow muttered. “So not fair. I wanna go to Atlantis!”

“That’s quite a gift there, darlin’,” Cameron said, winking at Dawn.

“I will open it and get Xander back,” Dawn said, straightening.

“No!” Daniel said. “We need to give you a break.”

“I will contact the Joint Chiefs and the President. This is a game changer,” General Landry said. “We will meet in one hour and discuss what to do next. No more portal opening today. You need to rest, young lady.”

He turned to Cameron. “Have your team join us in the conference room in one hour,” he said. He glanced at his daughter. “Dr. Lam, it will be good that you join us as the medical expert.”

“Of course,” Dr. Lam agreed.

“I’m going to go let Teal’c and Vala know,” Cameron said before falling after the general.

“Do you think Xander’s okay?” Dawn asked in concern.

“I’m sure he’s fine,” Daniel said, smiling down at her. “You know he’s over the moon to be in another galaxy and getting to see Buffy.”

“I knew she was alive, but it’s something else to see her,” Willow said. “This is just so amazing!”

“It really is,” Tara said.

“Why do you think the portal closed?” Sam asked Dr. Lam. “Do you think it’s because of the mental energy she’s exerting? Did the distance require more blood?”

“Probably the distance,” Dr. Lam said. “I can’t begin to explain what’s special about her blood outside of the fact that I know it’s much more charged than normal blood.”

“It’s mystical. You can’t begin to understand it as it’s not meant to be understood by human standards,” Tara said.

“This is a new thing for you, Dawn,” Dr. Lam said. “It’s like a muscle. When you first exercise, it gets sore. It would make sense that you’d need to pace yourself and develop the muscle—or portal opening ability.”

“It does. It makes perfect sense,” Sam said, nodding.

“Okay,” Dawn said with a shrug. She was just happy that it worked.

“Let’s go home and rest,” Daniel said to her.

“I’ll take her, so you can be here for the meeting,” Willow said.

“I want to take her blood pressure and vitals, though, before she leaves,” Dr. Lam said. “We need to record what they are and find out if it’s just weariness or if it’s harming her.”

Daniel nodded and led his daughter to sit on the examining table. He was just so grateful to know his oldest was really okay.

About twenty minutes later, General Landry was video conferencing with the Joint Chiefs and the President. He shared the newest developments, and they listened in various degrees of stunned disbelief. Only the President remained unsurprised.

Instead, he laughed. “When I was read into the SGC, I was shocked to my core. However, in my years as President, I have ceased being amazed. If you tell me that Merlin is real, I believe you. If you tell me that the most powerful ally in the universe is little grey men, I believe you. If you tell me that a super powered vampire slayer died closing a portal and is brought back to life in another galaxy, I believe you,” he said. “Now you tell me that the same slayer’s sister—the daughter of the great Daniel Jackson who has died and ascended more than once—has mystical blood that allows her to open up portals all the way to the Pegasus galaxy. Sure. Count me in.”

The Joint Chiefs chuckled. “We live in amazing times,” General Landry said.

“That we do, sir. That we do,” the President said, still smiling. “So you want me to continue to allow this girl to open her portal to Atlantis?”

“Well, to be frank, sir, I don’t think we can stop her,” Landry said. “She’s like her father and her big sister. Stubborn.”

“I wouldn’t expect anything less,” the President said. “Well, monitor it closely. If this child can open portals at will to places we can’t easily get to, she’ll be an incredible asset.”

“That she will,” Landry agreed. “What about Harris? He is now in Atlantis.”

“This is O’Neill’s recruit, correct?” the President asked.

Landry nodded. “Yes. Jack and Teal’c have been working with him, and Sam has been tutoring him,” Landry said. “He’s done some training with other teams—at Jack’s approval. He performed incredibly well.”

One of the Joint Chiefs spoke. “This is the young man who was raised on the hellmouth in Sunnydale? Led his high school classmates at their graduation to take up arms against the vampires the Mayor had unleashed during his ritual to ascend into a full-blown demon?”

Landry nodded. “It’s crazy when you hear it like that,” Landry said with a grimace. “But yes, Harris has shown some unusual ability to both adapt and lead when necessary. He is more rash than his friends—willing to risk his life to save his friends.”

“So he should be okay on Atlantis until he can be retrieved,” the President said.

“Most likely,” Landry said.

“We need to keep a lid on this,” one of the generals said. “If other agencies found out what this girl would do, her life would be at severe risk.”

The President nodded. “Yes, we need to keep this out of all written reports. No one outside of this room and your team there need to know.”

“That’s kind of hard as Dawn was practicing all over the base in plain view,” Hank said.

The President sighed. “Well, talk to your men there and remind them of the classified nature of the work you do,” he said.

“What about Buffy Summers?” another general asked.

“I think if she was really sent to Atlantis, then she probably needs to be there,” the President said. “What do you think, Hank?”

“I agree. She could’ve jumped into her family’s arms when the portal opened, but she was hesitant to leave Atlantis,” Landry shared. “I don’t think Buffy Summers knows how to not be the warrior and hero that she is.”

“We should point her at the Wraith and let her do what she’s programmed to do,” another general said.

The President nodded. “Don’t pressure the girl, though. She’s been through a lot but tell Sheppard that if she wants to join him on his expeditions to other planets that she be allowed,” he said.

“She’s not one to really follow orders,” Landry pointed out.

“Like Jackson?” the President reminded him with a grin. “As long as she doesn’t undermine his command entirely, let her be who she is and see where the chips fall. If things become too unstable, we can always have her dad intervene. Dr. Jackson is known for getting people to see things his way, is he not?”

Landry chuckled. “You are devious, Mr. President,” he said.

The Chiefs laughed, nodding their head. 

“When I need to be, Hank. When I need to be,” the President replied. “Keep me updated.”

“Yes, sir,” Landry said. He saluted, and the call ended.

When he went to the conference room a short time later, Jack O’Neill was there, and SG-1 was assembled along with Dr. Lam. Willow Rosenberg was also there.

“Did Tara take Dawn back home?” he asked as he sat down.

Daniel and Willow both nodded. “Yes, sir,” Willow said.

“Good. How is she, Dr. Lam?” he said, turning to look at his daughter.

“She was fine. Her vitals tested normal. Her pulse was slightly elevated, but her blood pressure was normal,” Dr. Lam said.

“So what is your medical opinion about her attempting to retrieve Mr. Harris?” Hank asked.

“I think if she feels rested that she will be okay,” Dr. Lam said. “However, I want to be there to monitor her. This is an entire new thing for us, so I have nothing to compare it to.”

“To be able to go from place to place without aid of a gate is a wonderous thing,” Teal’c said. “I would like to witness this.”

“She opened a portal to me, and I was impressed,” Vala said, grinning. She nudged Daniel. “That’s some spawn you have there. Do you think if you knocked me up, our daughter could do that? Your other daughter has super strength. Imagine what our daughter could do?”

Daniel sputtered while Willow’s mouth fell open in shock.

Cameron laughed. “Vala, stop embarrassing the poor guy. You were briefed on Dawn, and you know that she was not created in the traditional sense of the word,” he said.

“She is still my daughter,” Daniel added.

“Of course, Danny,” Jack said. “No one is trying to say otherwise.”

“The President gave us a go to proceed, and he also said that Buffy can accompany Sheppard on any mission that she sees fit,” Hank shared.

That caused a reaction as Daniel frowned while Jack and Sam straightened. “Sir, do you think that’s wise?” Sam inquired.

“We all know what Buffy is capable of,” Jack said. “She will be a tremendous asset to Shepard’s team.”

“I want my daughter home,” Daniel said.

“It didn’t seem as if she wanted to leave,” Cameron pointed out. “She had this giant of a man in her arms—literally.”

“I wish I had seen that!” Jack said, grinning.

Daniel was upset at the thought of his daughter being so far away. “Everything happened too fast. It was too quick to make decisions about what Buffy wants to do,” he said. 

“What if she wants to stay there?” Jack asked.

“She’s an adult,” Hank said. “I think she has sacrificed enough to be able to make her own decisions. Don’t you, Dr. Jackson?”

Daniel looked grim, but he nodded. Willow was upset, but she said nothing.

“So tomorrow evening Dawn is coming back, right?” Jack asked. “After school?”

“She will be back in the morning,” Daniel said. “She’s anxious to try again.”

“Talk to Dawn about not sharing her new abilities with any of her new friends at school,” Hank said.

“What do you mean?” Daniel asked. “She grew up on the hellmouth. She’s not one to blab.”

“Teenagers with magical abilities want to fit in just like everyone else,” Hank pointed out.

“Dawn won’t say anything,” Willow said.

“All of you need to be careful about sharing what she can do,” Hank said. “A lot of agencies would do things unsavory to get their hands on someone with her gift.”

Daniel and Willow both looked alarmed. “She’s in danger?” he asked.

“Don’t worry, Danny,” Jack said. “I had a team escort her and Tara home with orders to stay on guard. We’ll be keeping a guard around her.”

“She won’t like that,” Daniel said, grim.

“She probably won’t notice,” Cameron said.

“She’ll notice,” Daniel and Willow said at the same time.

“Growing up in Sunnydale has made all of us hypervigilant,” Willow said.

“Glad you took the initiative, Jack. We’ll reconvene at nine hundred hours,” Hank said, rising. “You are dismissed.”

Dr. Lam and Sam rose right away. Teal’c and Cameron followed while Vala looked at Daniel.

“Are you all right?” she asked as she stood.

“Yes,” Daniel said, standing. “I’m just worried now about Dawn, and I’m depressed to think Buffy might want to stay so far away from us.”

“She can only be who she is, buddy,” Jack said, squeezing his shoulder. 

“Glad you came, Jack,” Daniel said.

“I have to be in D. C. at least four days a month, but I can come here when I feel I’m needed,” Jack said. “Recruiting and training is much more my thing than loads of paperwork all the time.”

“I bet,” Daniel said, finally standing.

His friends dispersed, leaving he and Willow to walk out last.

“Don’t worry, Daniel. Buffy and Dawn will be fine,” she said. “Atlantis isn’t that far when you consider what Dawn can do.”

Daniel brightened at the thought. “That’s true,” he said. “Thanks, Willow.” He put his arm around her shoulder as they walked to the elevator.

***** _Atlantis*****_

Buffy couldn’t believe her Xander-shaped friend was actually with her. They chattered non-stop for an hour while Ronon, Rodney, and John tried to follow.

Eventually, Ronon sat in a chair not too far and began sharpening his large knife. Rodney and John sat on his other side, watching the Sunnydale pair.

Finally, Rodney couldn’t take it anymore. “Are they still speaking English? Is that some form of Pig Latin only Southern Californians speak?” he asked Ronon.

“Of course, it’s English,” John said. “It’s just at warp speed.”

“Do you understand that?” Rodney asked Ronon.

“I don’t need to,” Ronon said. “She’s happy. That’s her friend, so I’m happy for her.”

“Buffy, do you want to give Xander a tour of the place?” John suggested. “There’s no telling how long he will be allowed to stay here.”

Xander jumped, bouncing like Tiger. “Oh, I so want to see everything!” he said.

“I’ll show you mine and Ronon’s favorite spot,” Buffy said. She’d already told Xander how they’d met, and he’d filled her in on their move to Colorado.

Ronon smiled as he walked next to Buffy and her friend, enjoying her joy. She was always a breath of fresh air, but with her friend, it was like she was lit up even more than normal.

He loved seeing her like this, and he hoped that her friend would stick around. Before his world had been decimated, Ronon had several close friends and his wife. She had been his best friend, but she wasn’t much like Buffy. She was tough and serious, knowing the price of being a solider. Somehow, though, Buffy had a lightness of spirit that his wife never had. Although Buffy had suffered much—losing her mother, fighting all the time at such a young age—even dying—she seemed to live her life looking for all the small pleasures.

For Ronon, who had lived so alone for several years, she somehow had become a part of him in such a short time. If she went back to Earth with her friend, Ronon was going with her.

***** _Chapter End*****_

_More Xander in Atlantis to come! Thanks so much. Reviews are the best._


	11. A New Chapter

_*****Sunnydale*****_

Giles looked up from his book as Faith came into the Magic Box. "How was patrol? Any signs of Spike?" he asked.

"It was fine," Faith said. "Spike doesn't seem to be anywhere. I did ask Clem, who was the last one who saw him, I think. Clem said that Spike told him he was going out of town for a few days to find a way to get back what he lost."

Giles was alarmed. "Get back what he lost? What do you think he meant be that?" he asked.

"Well, there's only one thing he lost that I can think of," Faith said. "He wants to get back his ability to kill humans."

"He's getting the chip removed?" Giles asked. "Surely, he wouldn't do that—not after all he's been through here. I would even argue that he made friends with Teal'c. Why would he want to become just a monster again?"

"Because that's his nature," Faith said with a shrug.

"I hope you're wrong because Dawn would be so upset," Giles said.

The phone rang, so he picked it up. "Hello," he said. "Willow, it's good to hear from you. . .What? . . . Oh, my. Really? She can open portals?"

"Who can open portals?" Faith asked.

"She is? You saw her?" he asked. Then he put his hand over the phone. "Buffy is definitely alive. Dawn opened a portal to Atlantis and saw her."

"No shit?" Faith asked.

Giles waved her away and listened as Willow kept explaining. "Yes, please keep me posted," he said.

"What?" Faith prodded.

Giles took off his glasses and began cleaning them. "Well, it seems that Dawn has been using her blood to open portals and managed to open one to Atlantis in the Pegasus galaxy where Buffy is currently located," he said.

"That's incredible!" Faith said. "Little sis getting her own superpower!"

"It seems that in an attempt to see if the portal was safe, Xander crossed over to Atlantis," Giles said.

"No f-ing way! Xander got to go to another planet?" she asked in awe.

"And Dawn ran out of energy, losing the connection," Giles finished. "The portal closed, so he is there still. They're going to try tomorrow to get him back."

Faith shook her head. "Xander has all the fun!" she remarked. "So can I be the one to tell Anya that her honey is so very far out of reach?"

Giles noticeably flinched at the reminder. "Oh, dear," he said. They had to tell Anya.

***** _Atlantis******_

Xander was having loads of fun reconnecting with Buffy and touring Atlantis. They had dinner together, and then Buffy took him to her room of weapons.

"Isn't this the coolest?" she said. "This is a shield that can withstand bullets and blasts from John's alien gun."

Xander picked up a wicked looking curved sword and swung it around. "Very cool, Buff," he said. "Where's the lightsaber?"

Buffy grabbed it off the table, igniting it, and then she handed it to him. It seemed that if she turned it on and kept thinking of it being on, it would stay on. Xander gleefully grabbed it. "We totally have to have a sword fight!"

Buffy grinned and picked up a long sword. "We haven't really tested that thing much," she said. "I mainly just wave it around."

"Careful," Ronon warned. He rarely left Buffy's side when she was in Atlantis, and he was enjoying watching her interact with her friend.

"Don't worry, Ro, I won't hurt him—much," Buffy said with a grin.

Ronon watched as her friend swung the lightsaber against her sword. Sparks flew.

"This is so cool! Willow will be totally jealous!" Xander said. "Teal'c's going to die. He loves Star Wars, you know."

"Really?" Buffy asked with a snicker. "That's kind of strange."

"He's an alien, and yet he recognizes a genius cinematic experience," Xander said, swinging the lightsaber some more. They exchanged quick blows.

"You've been practicing," Buffy said in approval.

"Well, Daniel doesn't allow gun play in the house, so swords are the go-to. He actually knows how to fence, and he's been teaching me," he shared. He swung and surprised her by kicking her leg.

Buffy went to her knee and glanced at him, impressed. "Kudos, Xan," she said, jumping up and swinging the sword harder, knocking the lightsaber out of his hands.

"It was fun while it lasted," Xander said, looking down at the fallen cylinder. It turned off when it hit the ground.

"Ronon, you want a go?" Buffy asked as she picked up the lightsaber and threw him the sword.

"Okay," he said. They were in the connecting training room Rodney had accidentally discovered earlier. Buffy had been giddy when she saw it. Unlike the other designated training room in Atlantis, this one was hers, and she didn't have to share it with anyone or worry about gawkers. It was nice to have a place of her own to relax. People in Atlantis had been very nice, but they still gave her too much attention when she entered a room.

Xander watched the two of them with a grin on his face. It'd been too long since he'd gotten to see Buffy spar with someone that could actually keep up. Ronon was quite good, and he could tell that the two of them had spent some time sparring before. Xander didn't think he'd seen Buffy this relaxed and happy since the early days with Angel. He really hoped that whatever was happening with this guy had a better ending.

Ronon was strong and quick for someone his size. However, Buffy was flexible and could easily dodge his hits, and she had him on his back after several minutes. Straddling him, she grinned down. "It took me longer this time," she said. Then she moved off him and held out her hand to pull him up.

"I have to get better if I have you as a partner," Ronon said, smiling.

"I was impressed," Xander said. "You lasted twice as long as I thought you would."

A bit later, Buffy was showing Xander to the room across the hall from hers. This was his first chance to speak with her alone as Ronon stayed across the hall in their room.

"So what's going on with you and the big guy?" Xander asked with a grin.

"Ronon? Not much," she said with a shrug.

"You share a room, Buff," Xander pointed out, "when there's one empty across the hall."

"I know. We just spent several days together running and fighting the Wraith, Xander, and neither of us wanted to be alone," Buffy said, feeling awkward. How did she put into words what Ronon was to her?

"You guys aren't a couple?" Xander asked in surprise.

"No!" Buffy said quickly.

Xander frowned. "Seriously? Why not? I've never seen you so comfortable with a guy who wasn't me, nor has a guy ever been that protective without being all jealous of you spending so much time with another guy," Xander remarked. "He seems great."

"He is great," Buffy said. "But you know how bad things always are with me and guys. Why would I ruin that?"

"Because you might find out that your new best friend could be even better as a lover," he said. "That's how I feel about Anya."

"And yet you left her behind in Sunnydale," Buffy pointed out.

"It's all part of my master plan," Xander said confidently.

"And what plan is that?" Buffy inquired.

"Make her miss me so much that she's willing to leave the Magic Box and come to Colorado," Xander said.

"You think it'll work?" Buffy asked.

"I don't know, but I hope so," Xander said. "I can't tell you much easier it is to just breath away from the hellmouth."

"I do know," Buffy said. "Even with running and fighting for my life against the Wraith, I still felt lighter than I have in years."

"Colorado is so great, Buffy. I can't wait for you to see the house your dad bought for us," Xander said.

"Really? Tell me about it," Buffy said, sitting on the bottom bunk while he sat down in the only chair.

Xander spent several minutes telling her all about the house and what their life in Colorado was like. "We gave you the attic room. I think you'll really like it—it's bigger than your old room. There's even a small closet," Xander said. "I'm going to build you another one, though—for your shoes."

Buffy laughed. "It sounds great! I can't believe you guys are all living with my dad," she said. "Or that he has a room for me when he didn't even know I was alive."

"Well, your mom appeared after you jumped and assured us that you had ascended, and we'd see you again," Xander said. "You can't imagine how happy that made all of us, especially your dad. Losing you so soon after your mom—it's been rough."

Buffy looked sad and nodded. "Yea, I know," she said. "And I want to be there with him again, Xander. I do, but I can't leave here. I'm not meant to fight any more on Earth—I just feel it. This is my place."

"It's really far, Buff," Xander said.

"Let's hope that Dawn master's this new ability, so it won't seem that far," Buffy said. "I mean, it'd be so great to be able to pop in on you guys once a week."

"Most definitely," he agreed. Then he yawned. "I think I'm going to have to hit the hay. All this excitement is a bit much. Tomorrow, I will tell you all about my time training at Stargate Command."

Buffy got up and hugged him. "I look forward to hearing all about it," she said. "Good night, Xander. I love you."

"I love you, too," Xander said. He couldn't believe that he was with her in another galaxy.

***** _The Next Day*****_

Dawn was eager to get started on opening a portal back to her sister and Xander, so she was up at dawn.

Daniel had barely slept at all, his mind racing with all the possibilities. It was great that his daughter was alive, and he could reach her with the help of his other daughter. However, his mind couldn't help but wonder at the long-term effects on Dawn. What if this key-power damaged her in some way?

Tara was already making breakfast when he went into the kitchen.

"I can't believe all of you are up so early," he remarked as he grabbed the coffeepot. Sometimes, he couldn't believe how full his life was now. His job at SGC had always made his life exciting and worthwhile, but now, he had the family that was long denied him. He had been married for a short time before he'd lost his wife. Now he had his daughters and so much more. Tara was as maternal as they came.

"We're ready to get another glimpse of Buffy," Willow said. "And maybe all of us get to go to Atlantis!"

"Well, I don't know about that," Daniel said. "I doubt the general will go allow that."

"But you can ask, right, Dad?" Dawn begged.

"Sure, honey," he said, not wanting to disappoint her. "I'll talk to him."

An hour later, he was in General Landry's office while Dawn was getting tested. Daniel wasted no time in asking, "So you know they want to go to Atlantis."

Hank wasn't surprised by this. "I can't say I blame them. I'd like to go too," he said with a dry smile.

"Have you figured out the protocol?" Daniel asked.

"You are authorized to go to Atlantis and retrieve Xander and your daughter," he said. "If Buffy wants to stay, she is to be granted full privileges of any member of Sheppard's team."

"What about Dawn? Can she go to Atlantis?" Daniel asked.

"Is it possible for her to go through her own portal?" he asked.

"I don't know," Daniel said. "I'd think so."

"But you can't know if she'd be stuck on Atlantis or not," Hank pointed out. "Until more experiments are conducted on this planet in a controlled environment, I cannot authorize anyone besides you to go over there. Jack or another officer will volunteer to be tests subjects to Atlantis, I'm sure. Once we determine she can open portals without any stress on her person and establish her limitations, we will revisit it."

"So that's a "maybe" in the future?" Daniel asked with a grin.

"Possibly," Hank said.

"They'll be excited to hear that," he said. "Thank you, sir."

"Danny-boy," Jack called out as he walked out of the general's office.

He stopped and turned. "Hey, Jack. Here to watch Dawn at work?" he asked with a proud smile.

"You betcha," he said. "To think, your daughter could be the key we have to all our transportation issues. She is going to be worth her weight in gold."

"Hey, she's still just a teenager, Jack," Daniel said, frowning.

"I know, Danny. I'm just saying. It takes a lot of money for the Prometheus to go back and forth and ZPM's are hard to come by," Jack said. "If she is able to perfect this and willing to do it one day a month even—just think of the implications? The morale improvement? The Atlantis crew can get real furlough, less burn out from the crew. Not to mention, the supplies they can bring in."

"I understand, Jack. I do," Daniel said. "You know Dawn will be glad to help—eager even."

Jack nodded happily. "I know," he said.

"I just hope that there's no long-term damaging effect on her," Daniel said.

"She's just special, and I'm sure she'll be fine," Jack said as he followed Daniel into Lam's office.

Dawn looked up when they came in. "Dad, I'm good to go!" she said.

Tara and Willow were both sitting on a nearby bed, waiting patiently. "Did you ask the general?" Willow asked.

Daniel nodded. "Yes. He said that for today, only I'm allowed to go, but after we spend more time experimenting and assuring the men in charge that the Dawn Express is safe, they'll consider your request," he shared.

"The Dawn Express?" Dawn laughed. "That's kind of cool!"

Jack gave her an affectionate pat on the shoulder. "What you can do is way cool," he said. "You know, the SGC will pay you for your time if you perfect this and are able to transport people and supplies."

Dawn's eyes widened. "Seriously? That's so awesome!" she gushed. "We can totally go to Europe next summer!"

"Well, your gifts will make it much cheaper," Willow pointed out.

"Are you ready, sweetheart?" Daniel asked.

"You guys aren't doing this without me," Vala said as she came into the infirmary.

"Of course not," Dawn said with a grin.

"Imagine the treasures we can find in Atlantis!" Vala said with an eager grin.

"You won't be finding out," Daniel said firmly.

They started bickering as the group made it to Sam's lab where they'd agreed to start. Jack, Cameron, and Teal'c were waiting there. General Landry came in right after them.

"I'm reading to this the Atlantis Express Train!" Cameron said excitedly.

"It's the Dawn Express," Jack corrected.

"Well, we're ready!" Dawn said, bouncing on her feet.

"Daniel, I spoke to Dawn about taking blood from her a day or two before we need a portal opened and then preserving it. That way she doesn't have to be poked on the days she's focusing on opening the portal," Dr. Lam.

"Will the blood still be good?" Tara asked.

"It can stay viable up to seven days," Dr. Lam said.

"It only takes one drop, so one vial of blood can work for a few days," Daniel pointed out.

Dr. Lam nodded. "Yes, today, we are going to use blood from yesterday just to confirm that it will work."

She handed Dawn a dropper with a bit of her blood in it. Dawn grabbed it and took a deep breath. It was hard to explain how this worked, but she just focused on what she wanted. _Atlantis. Pegasus Galaxy. Buffy and Xander._ Then she dropped a droplet of her blood into the air, and the portal began to open. _Wider,_ she thought. The portal door opened. Xander was eating breakfast and laughing at something.

"Hey, guys," Dawn said. Without waiting for permission, she stepped through the portal, focusing on keeping it open.

"Darn it, my ride is here!" Xander complained as she saw Dawn.

Dawn looked back at the portal—it was still open. "I did it, Dad!" she said proudly. "I can step through and keep it open."

"Honey, you're not authorized to be in Atlantis," Daniel said as he followed her through.

"That's too bad because no one is going to keep me from seeing my sister anytime I want," she said, glaring at General Landry before she closed the portal.

_*****Sunnydale*****_

Spike stumbled to the door of the Magic Box. The pain was unending. What did he do? How could he have done all those things? He looked down at his hands. Images of blood covered them as he experienced vision after vision of him killing—slaughtering—countless victims.

"It wasn't me!" he cried as he pushed open the door of the shop.

Giles looked up at his entrance. "Spike? Are you all right? Where have you been?" he asked.

"Rupert, make it stop!" he exclaimed as he fell to his knees in front of the front counter, sobbing into his hands.

"What's wrong, Spike?" he asked, moving to go around to him.

"I killed all those people, Rupert! Why would I do such a thing? I'm a monster! Why am I a monster?" Spike asked.

"Well, you're a vampire, Spike," Giles said calmly. "Did something happen? Is your chip not working? Did you hurt someone?" This was the thing Giles feared the most. Surely, he hadn't gotten his chip disabled?

"I have a chip because I'm an animal. Why don't you just put me down? Rapid dogs get put down. I'm just a dog—a mean ole dog," he mumbled, still crying.

Giles was beginning to think that Spike's problem wasn't his chip. "Spike where did you go? What happened? We haven't seen you in days," he said.

"I went to this bloke, and he told me that I could finally be the man I was meant to be. I had to win these fights—prove that I was strong—that I was worthy," Spike shared. "I want to be William again. Buffy could never love a monster. Teal'c is my friend because he doesn't see the monster that the chip hides, so I thought I could do something. But it hurts, Rupert. Make it stop!" He reached out and clutched at Giles' pant leg, still sobbing.

"Dear Lord," Giles whispered. "He went and got back his bloody soul."

***** _End of Update*****_

_Are you still enjoying this tale? Let me know with a quick comment/review! Thanks!_


	12. Reunited

_*****Atlantis******_

Buffy couldn't believe it. Dawn was there with her, and she pulled her close for a long hug.

"Can't breathe, Buffy," Dawn said.

Buffy pulled back and looked at her, grinning. "I can't believe you did it! You are so amazing!" she exclaimed.

Dawn flushed with the rare praise from her big sister. "It's pretty cool," she agreed. "I just can't believe you're actually alive." She hugged her again.

"So this is the amazing Summer sister that can open portals to another galaxy?" John asked.

Dawn looked and saw several eyes on her. It was great to be admired, but it made her uncomfortable.

"I guess so," she said.

"This place is way cool, Dawnie," Xander said, high-fiving her.

"Did Dad say it was okay for you to be here?" Buffy asked as it occurred to her.

"Not exactly," Dawn admitted. "The General tried to tell me I had to wait, but I wasn't going to wait to see you. You're _my_ sister!"

"Can you open the portal back up?" John asked.

"Yea," Dawn said. "I just need a drop of my blood."

"Oh come on!" Rodney said, his mind refusing to believe it.

"Excuse me?" Dawn asked, confused by his remark.

"Don't mind him," Buffy said, giving Rodney a look of warning. "That's Dr. Know-it-all. He doesn't believe in magic or the mystical, so you and me make his brain go kaplooey."

When Rodney opened his mouth to protest, Teyla nudged him. "Careful, Rodney. We don't want to alienate the young girl who can open portals," she said softly.

"I guess, he will have to break him in gently," Dawn said with a grin.

"Dawn, you remember Ronon?" Buffy asked, looking up at her large shadow.

Dawn tilted her head to greet the very hot guy towering over her and her sister. "Wow, Buffy. He's even taller up close! And he's gorgeous!" she said, grinning.

Ronon grinned down at her. "Thanks," he said.

Dawn flushed as she realized what she said. "Oh, well, I meant—" she stopped when Buffy snickered.

"It's okay, Dawnie. He is gorgeous," Buffy said in agreement. She winked at Ronon, who felt himself grow a bit taller at her approval.

"I'm going to go tell Elizabeth that you are here," John said. "Rodney, come with me."

"But—" he began before John dragged him away.

"You should show your sister around," Teyla said.

"Good idea," Xander said.

"Come on. We'll show you around," Buffy said. "Thanks, Teyla."

"Your welcome," she said. She held out her hand. "I'm Teyla."

"Nice to meet you," Dawn said, smiling.

"She's a native of this galaxy," Xander shared, his excitement obvious.

"So she's an alien like Ronon?" Dawn asked.

"They're like us, Dawn," Buffy said.

The foursome walked around, chatting while Buffy showed Dawn her favorite places.

"Willow is so jealous that you're here, Xander," Dawn shared.

Xander grinned. "Yep, it's way cool!" he exclaimed.

Buffy took her to her fun room full of alien toys, and they spent a good hour looking and playing with the various weapons.

"I cannot believe you have your own lightsaber!" Dawn said in envy.

"I know, right?" Xander said in agreement. "So not fair!"

"Perks of dying, ascending, and being sent to another galaxy to fight space vampires!" Buffy said with a smug smile.

"So have you got to use any of this against those things?" Dawn asked.

"No," Buffy said. "I fought Wraith with Ronon, but it was before we came here. So far, he's been off world, but I haven't."

"Are they not going to let you?" Dawn asked, frowning.

Buffy shrugged. "It's not come up yet as I've been too busy learning what these weapons can do," she explained. "It seems that the Ancient gene is what operates most things in this city. John and Dr. Beckett have it the strongest. Rodney created some type of gene therapy to give it to others like himself, but I can operate things that even John can't."

"Rodney hates that," Ronon added with a smirk.

"True," Buffy said, grinning.

"So what's the plan?" Xander asked.

"For what?" Buffy asked.

Xander gave Dawn a pointed look. "Your dad is probably freaking out right now," he said. "You need to open a portal and send me back and let him come over, especially if he is the only one approved."

"I don't want to leave yet," Dawn said with a stubborn tile of her jaw.

"Who said you had to?" Buffy said. "Just get to Dad, so he can join us."

"Fine. Do you have a knife?" she asked. "I need some blood."

Buffy looked disturbed. "No, but we can go see Dr. Beckett," she said. "He's a real sweetheart with this amazing Scottish accent."

Buffy and Ronon led the visiting pair to the medical room, and Dr. Beckett was there, smiling his normal friendly smile in greeting. "Hello, lass. I've heard you had a special visitor today," he said. He glanced at Dawn and Xander.

"Dr. Beckett, this is Xander and my sister Dawn. They're here for a visit," Dawn said.

"Hi," Xander said, giving him a wave. "So you're from Scotland? I've never met anyone from Scotland."

"Is sheep stomach really something people eat there?" Dawn asked.

Dr. Beckett chuckled. "Unfortunately, it is a beloved dish," he said. "Welcome to Atlantis. Has Buffy shown you around?"

They nodded. "Yep!" Dawn said. "This place is really cool."

"It is special," he agreed.

"Dr. Beckett, I don't know if you've heard or not, but Dawn's blood is a bit special. We need you to withdraw some blood, so she can open a portal to our dad," Buffy explained.

"Really?" he said. "I'd be happy to do so, but I will need to speak to Dr. Weir and make sure she is okay with it."

Dawn started to protest when Buffy gave her the look. "No problem," Buffy said. "We can wait."

While Dr. Beckett made his call, Buffy turned to Dawn. "Dawn, we are guests here, and they have lots of rules and protocol. They've been really nice to me and Ronon," Buffy said. "I don't think it's a big deal to keep the woman in charge in the loop."

"I guess," Dawn said.

Dr. Beckett returned and said, "Dr. Weir is happy to allow it, but she would like to witness it if you are okay with her being here?"

Dawn shrugged. "I don't mind. You probably should have Dr. Know-it-all come too," she said.

"That means Rodney," Buffy said with a grin.

Dr. Beckett laughed. "I figured," he said. "I'll let them know. My assistant will go ahead and draw your blood."

Several minutes later, her blood was drawn, and there were several people there to witness her portal opening skills besides Rodney and Elizabeth. John and Teyla came with them. John introduced Major Evan Lorne, and Rodney introduced Dr. Radek Zelenka.

"Radek is one of top scientists," Elizabeth said.

"Where are you from, Dr. Zelenka?" Buffy asked, smiling at the man.

"I am from the Czech Republic, formerly Czechoslovakia," he said. "I welcome a chance to view your astounding gift."

Rodney grumbled but said nothing.

"I hope you're more open minded that Dr. Know-It-All over there," Buffy said, giving Rodney a pointed look. "He is having a hard time accepting why I am so strong and gifted. Now when he sees my mystically empowered sister use her blood to open a portal, he'll try to rationalize it away. However, there are some things that cannot be explained by science. The sooner everyone accepts that, the less uncomfortable my presence will make them."

"I am always open to knew ideas," Dr. Zelenka said, giving Rodney a smirk.

Rodney opened his mouth to argue, but John elbowed him. "Not the time, Rodney," he said.

Rodney satisfied himself with a glare.

"So here's the blood," Dr. Beckett said, handing her the blood. "What else do you need?"

"Well, Dr. Carter and Dr. Lam used a dropper, so I can get just a drop," Dawn said.

"It really just takes a drop of your blood?" Dr. Zelenka asked, fascinated.

Dawn nodded. "Yep," she said.

"Do you have to click your heels three times and say, 'There's no place like home,' over and over, too?" John asked with a grin.

Teyla looked confused when the Scoobies laughed. "Why would clicking her heels help?" she asked.

"That's a reference to an American classic," Dr. Beckett explained. "I have a copy of the movie, and we can totally add it to the Friday night movie screening."

"Good idea!" John said.

Dawn and Buffy exchanged amused looks while Xander said, "I can see you fit in very well with these clowns, Buff."

"John is quite a master at the quip," she said, smiling at him.

John preened while Rodney gritted his teeth.

Dr. Beckett handed Dawn a dropper, and she put it into the small tube that contained her blood. "So besides your blood, what do you have to do?" Dr. Beckett asked.

"I just think where I want to go. I picture the person or place in my head," she said. She closed her eyes and thought of her father at SG-1, and then she released a drop of blood.

The onlookers watched as the blood stopped before it hit the ground and began to shimmer with a bright light. Then a window began to open—it was the best way to describe it. The group moved to get a better view as Dr. Daniel Jackson's face became visible.

"Dad," Dawn called.

Daniel was at his desk and looked up when he heard his name called. "Dawn?" he said with a grin. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Dad," Dawn said. "I'm going to widen the portal, so you can come over if you want."

"Let me notify my team and General Landry," he said. He picked up his phone and made a call.

"So we can just step through, and we'd be on Earth?" Rodney asked, fascinated in spite of himself.

Dawn nodded. "Yep," she said. "Do you wanna go through and see for yourself?"

"Can you make the portal bigger?" Rodney asked.

"Okay," Dawn said, and the portal became large enough for someone to walk through it.

"Is it okay, Elizabeth?" Rodney asked his leader.

"In the name of science, why not?" she asked with a smile.

"Bring back some more antibiotics," Dr. Beckett said.

"Coffee. We need more coffee," John said.

"How about I give you a list?" Elizabeth said. She picked up a tablet and accessed some things, and then handed it to Rodney. "There's a list of some critical supplies. See if General Landry can authorize some of them."

"You'll be able to let me come back, right?" Rodney asked.

"How about I give you an hour or two while my dad is over here visiting with Buffy?" Dawn suggested.

"That works," Rodney said. "I don't understand this at all, but if it works for me, I will have to concede that you have achieved a level of human development that no one else on Earth has ever achieved."

"I didn't achieve it, Rodney. I was magically created," Dawn tried to explain.

Rodney held up his hand. "No, it's okay. I can admit when another person has achieved a level of greatness that I will never obtain," he said.

John leaned closer to Dawn. "Let this one go and consider this a win," he advised.

Dawn laughed. "Okay," she said.

Daniel stood up. "All right, we have a go," she said.

"Dad, Rodney is going to step through, and he has a list of stuff they need here, okay?" she said.

"Come on over, Rodney. I'll tell Sam you're here," he said.

Rodney grinned and stepped through the portal, and just like that, he was back on Earth.

"Incredible!" he exclaimed as Dr. Jackson smiled.

"She is amazing, isn't she?" he asked.

"Very much so," Rodney said. Dr. Carter came to Dr. Jackson's office door.

"Rodney. Welcome home," she said.

"It's good to see you," he said, smiling at his long-time crush—the only woman he truly admired.

"I see you've gotten a ride on the Dawn Express," she said.

"Would you like to explain to me how her blood can do this?" he asked.

Samantha grinned, and said, "It's magic."

"Don't tell me that you are drinking the Kool-Aid, too!" he complained.

"Come to my office, Rodney, and I'll tell you what I've learned," she said.

Daniel watched them leave, and then he turned and stepped through the portal.

Buffy wasted no time throwing herself against her father, tears running down her face. "I can't believe you're here," she murmured against him.

"That's my line," he said as he looked down at her tear-streaked face. He wiped her face. "I can't believe my beautiful daughter is back with me again."

Buffy beamed up at him, so happy to see him. "I'm not so easy to get rid of!" she declared.

Daniel grinned and looked over at Dawn, who was standing next to her. He pulled her close, too. His life and never been very easy, but he'd been fulfilled—even happy at times. Now, though, he felt blessed beyond measure. Maybe one day Joyce would choose to be with them again. Until then, though, he'd treasure every moment with his girls.

"Dr. Jackson, welcome to Atlantis. We're so glad that you could finally join us," Dr. Weir said, smiling at him when he looked up again.

Daniel laughed.

***** _Chapter End*****_


	13. Going Home

***** _Sunnydale*****_

Angel and came to Sunnydale, offering what comfort he could to Spike, who had somehow managed to get back his soul. He spent a few days trying to center Spike, but he didn’t know if it was working.

He talked to Giles about it. “I’m worried about Spike,” Angel said. “I think the dark energy of the hellmouth his making him worse.”

“You think he should leave Sunnydale?” Giles asked.

“I think it might help,” Angel said. “At least until he gets himself calmer.”

“Do you want to take him back to Los Angeles?” Giles asked.

“I could, but L.A. is so big and has so much darkness,” Angel said. “I’m not sure it’s such a good idea.”

“Well, I could call Teal’c and see if he could come and take Spike back to Colorado Springs for a bit. Or Dr. Jackson,” Giles said. “Anya is leaving to go to Colorado Springs and make sure Xander is okay.”

“Do you think you could ask her to wait until the sun sets all the way?” Angel wondered.

“I can,” Giles said. “Do you think Spike will be all right?”

Angel nodded. “Yes. He just needs time,” he said.

“Thanks for coming,” Giles said.

“Your welcome. I know you have some doubts about me because of my job, but I’m always trying to do the right thing,” Angel said. “I hope you know you can trust that.” He had made a deal with the devil in order to save his son Connor. A son none of the Sunnydale gang remembered him having.

“I hope so,” Giles said. “If things get bad and you need Faith, give us a call. There’s enough help here now that I think we can spare her for a few days.”

“I appreciate that,” Angel said. “I’ve already spoke to her, so I’m going to head out.”

When the sun set on Sunnydale, Spike was riding in the back of Anya’s car—much to her annoyance.

***** _SGC*****_

After a half hour in Rodney’s presence, Samantha Carter felt like she always felt when around him—she wanted to hit him.

“Rodney, how many times do I need to tell you the same thing?” Sam asked in exasperation.

“It’s not possible, Samantha. You know it as well as I do. These women should not be able to do what they do,” Rodney said.

“You think I don’t know that?” Samantha said. “You think I don’t know that a man shouldn’t turn to dust? But I saw Buffy slay vampires! I saw them turn to dust! I saw her fall into a portal that appeared after defeating a hell god, who stuck her hands through Cameron’s head and sucking the sanity out of him! I’m not crazy. Jack’s not crazy, and neither is Daniel. If you are going to have Buffy around, you’re going to see lots of things that make no sense to our scientific minds. They operate in a realm of supernatural that has different rules.”

“Rules? Dawn’s blood shouldn’t be able to open portals! That defies all rules!” Rodney insisted.

“Willow says there’s rules, but the rules are just different. Like if you do a spell for something, there has to be a balance of some kind,” Samantha said.

“Rodney,” Jack said, coming to the doorway. “All the things on your list are ready to go, and the hour is about up. Didn’t Dawn say she’d open the portal back up?”

“Yes,” he said. 

“Did you call your sister?” Sam said.

“No,” he admitted.

“Stop obsessing and go call your sister while you can,” Sam ordered.

“Fine,” Rodney said.

Jack watched him leave. “Did he hit you with a thousand questions?” he asked with a knowing grin.

“More like a million,” she said with a sigh. “Of course, I can’t fault him. I felt exactly the same way, but he doesn’t have the first-hand experience with the supernatural that I was exposed to.”

“Well, let’s go to Danny’s office and wait for him,” Jack said.

“You think she’ll open it up there?” Sam asked.

Jack shrugged. “Who knows? We have got to establish some real protocol for this, though,” he said.

“You thinking of sticking around?” she asked. Since his promotion, he’d spent more time in D.C.

“Maybe,” he said. “I’m thinking of asking to be put in charge of Dawn Patrol.” Of course, the big wigs had already suggested it and created the paperwork for the position.

Samantha laughed. “I’d love to see you put that request in writing,” she said as they walked toward Daniel’s office.

“It already is,” Jack said, flashing her a smug smile. He’d heard Buffy and her friends use that term more than once. “Operation Dawn Patrol had a nice ring to it, don’t you think?”

Samantha paused to see if he was joking. When she realized he probably wasn’t, she shook her head. “Only you, Jack. Only you,” she said.

“That’s what the President said, too!” he shared. Dawn had quickly become very important to everyone who knew about her and what she could do. Outside of SGC, the group was small.

However, all the members were very powerful.

_*****Atlantis*****_

Daniel couldn’t believe that he was there with both his girls again. He kept grabbing Buffy and hugging her the first ten minutes. Naturally, he cried and made them cry.

Ronon was very uncomfortable with all the open emotion, and Xander couldn’t help but tease him.

“Too raw for you, big guy?” he asked with a grin.

“I don’t like to see Buffy upset,” he grumbled.

“She’s not upset,” Xander clarified. “Those are happy tears. I’m sure she’s told you about how she just got to know Daniel about six months before she died or ascended. They haven’t had much time to be together.”

Daniel was standing in between both girls in a little circle while he stroked their hair. “I’m so glad I’ve been blessed with such amazing girls,” he said, giving them a beaming smile.

“Okay, Dad,” Buffy said, wiping her eyes. “That’s enough gushiness. Ronon is moving further and further away.” She grinned at him and waved. “Come back, Ro and meet my dad.”

Ronon moved back toward them. “Hello, sir,” he said.

“Hello, I’m Daniel Jackson,” he said, holding out his hand for the big guy.

“Ronon Dex,” he said, shaking his hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“Same here,” Daniel said, giving him a friendly smile.

Then Buffy introduced Daniel to Teyla and John. 

“It’s good to see you again, John,” Daniel said. 

“You guys know each other?” Buffy asked.

“Well, not really. But we met once before,” Daniel said.

“Let Buffy give you the tour,” Elizabeth said. “She’s already made herself at home.”

“She’s even got her own bunker full of space weapons, Dad,” Dawn shared.

Naturally, Buffy made a beeline to her nifty room of weaponry, and Daniel was eager to study everything.

“This is an incredible find, Buffy,” Daniel said. “I wish I had a camera to take some photographs.”

“Next visit, Dad,” Buffy said. She showed off her lightsaber.

“It doesn’t work for me,” Xander said morosely. “It’s so not fair!”

Dawn grinned. “Can I try?” she asked.

Buffy handed it to her, and it didn’t work either. 

“Shouldn’t I have the ancient gene?” Dawn asked.

“Yes,” Buffy said. “But some of these don’t work for Rodney, who was given the gene from the doc’s gene therapy. Try this.” She handed Dawn something that Rodney was able to work, and a shield opened up.

“This is cool!” Dawn said.

“The first shield I tried didn’t work for anyone but me. This one does if you have the gene,” Buffy said.

“That means I have the gene!” Dawn said excitedly.

Daniel’s mind was spinning. He had always wanted to explore the lost city of Atlantis, and his daughter had uncovered secrets that no one had in the year the team had been in the city. A desire to stay on Atlantis was strong, but he knew Dawn needed some normalcy. He couldn’t leave Colorado Springs.

“We are definitely going to have to get permission to spend weekends here,” Daniel said. “I have got to catalog this room and share its findings.”

Buffy grinned. “I knew you’d love this place, and it’s so great that Dawn can get you guys here so easily,” she said.

“You know Willow and Tara won’t be allowed to come here—Xander either,” Daniel said. “They don’t have the clearance. You’re going to have to come to them.”

“That’s fine,” Buffy said. “We can plan that. I’m sure, though, Dawnie, that the big-wigs are freaking out about you coming willy-nilly over here.”

“They can’t tell me I can’t see you!” Dawn insisted.

“They never said that, Dawn,” Daniel pointed out. “But we do have protocols in place, and they have to be able to trust you, especially if they’re going to pay you to open portals to Atlantis.”

Dawn pouted but sighed in resignation. “Fine. I’ll try to stick to their lame schedule,” she conceded.

“We should go speak to Dr. Weir and find out what kind of things she would like to see from you,” he said.

“There’s probably people here who’d love to go home and visit their family,” Buffy said.

“I imagine so,” Daniel said. He glanced at Ronon, Buffy’s silent bodyguard. At least he didn’t have to worry about her safety. He had a feeling that Ronon would never let anyone hurt his daughter. Of course, she was quite capable of protecting herself. However, he liked knowing someone else had her back.

A half hour later, they met with Dr. Weir, who said she’d begin working on a schedule to rotate her staff for downtime.

“I think we can plan for Fridays around six and return on Sunday at the same time,” Daniel said. “Dawn will want to visit Buffy or have Buffy visit us. I’d like to be able to do some research here also.”

“Of course, Dr. Jackson. Having you here would be a real asset,” Elizabeth told him. “If Dawn has physical side effects, however, we will need to rethink the schedule. We don’t want to put undue stress on someone her age.”

“I think that the more she uses the ability, the easier it will be for her,” Daniel said. “But keeping it open for sustained times will be the biggest hurdle. We’ll need to brief everyone about moving through it as quickly as possible.”

“Keep the numbers down for the first month,” Dr. Weir suggested.

Daniel nodded. “Yes,” he said. “We can send some supplies on the Friday when she opens the portal and the rest on the Sunday. That way the portal is open for less time.”

“That sounds good,” Dawn agreed. “I feel tired after opening a portal, but it doesn’t hurt me physically.”

“It’s too soon, though, to say how your body will feel long term, Dawn,” Daniel said.

“Better to be take baby steps,” John added. He looked at his watch. “It’s time to go retrieve Rodney. I’m sure Dr. Carter’s ready to be rid of him by now.”

Daniel grinned. “You’re probably right,” he said.

“They’ll probably be waiting in your office, don’t you think?” Dawn asked. “I didn’t exactly tell them where I’d open the portal.”

“No, you didn’t,” Daniel said. “Let’s start there. If no one is there, Xander and I will go through and find them. Don’t maintain the portal because we don’t want to exhaust you.”

“You should go to Dr. Beckett, so he can help with the blood aspect,” Elizabeth said. “We don’t want her cutting herself.”

“He already has a vial of my blood,” Dawn said. 

“The doctors have to study it to see if they can figure out _why_ she can do what they can’t,” Buffy said. “I left him have a vial of mine, too. They won’t find much.”

“Well, Dawn’s blood is a bit different, but it’s not anything they can replicate,” Daniel said.

They all began to file out of Elizabeth’s office and walk to medical. Teyla joined them, wanting to say goodbye to Buffy’s family and friend. 

“Dr. Beckett, I’m ready to open the portal again,” Dawn announced when she spotted him.

“That’s fine, dear. I will get the blood,” he said. He moved to the counter and opened up his cooler where blood was stored.

“I wish you could stay longer,” Buffy said to her dad. 

“How about you come back with me for a visit?” Daniel asked. “Dawn can bring you back in a few days.”

“You are technically not a part of Atlantis, Buffy,” Elizabeth said. “You are under no obligation to stay.”

“But I want to be,” Buffy said.

“All the better to go back to Earth. You can officially sign up as a consultant,” Daniel said.

“They’ll pay you money,” Xander added with a grin.

“Really?” Buffy asked. “I can buy some new shoes.” She turned to Ronon. “Do you want to come to Earth?” She couldn’t imagine being away from him for a few days—the thought made her heart pound and anxiety build.

Ronon sensed her feelings and gave her a nod. “Where you go, I go,” he said simply. He glanced at John. “Will I be allowed back?”

“Of course,” John said. “We like having you on the team. Grant it, you’ve only gotten to go on one off world trip with us, but it went well.”

Daniel couldn’t help but wonder at their relationship, but he would wait until he was alone with Buffy to try to decipher the bond between her and Ronon.

Dr. Beckett handed Dawn the dropper with her blood in it. “Are you ready?” she asked.

“Oh, wait, I gotta go get my lightsaber, so I can show it off!” Buffy said, running toward the exit.

John watched the wince that came on Elizabeth’s face. “Do you want to be the one to tell her she can’t just take things out of Atlantis?” he said to her.

Elizabeth sighed. “No one but her can use it, so I guess there’s no point, right?” she asked. She looked at Daniel. “Make sure that it gets recorded and cataloged, okay?”

Daniel grinned. “I will,” he said.

When Dawn opened the portal, Jack, Sam, and Rodney were waiting for them. He made Xander step in first. “By my new Atlantean friends!” Xander said. “I’ll be seeing you.” 

“Come on through, Rodney,” Daniel called. 

Rodney was pulling a cart with the supplies, so they backed away to give him room. 

“Good to have you back,” John said, slapping him on the back.

“Thank you for traveling the Dawn Express!” Jack called out to them, flashing thumbs-up.

Rodney rolled his eyes, but he turned back to wave at the pair. Then Daniel and Dawn stepped through.

“I’ll give you a few days to get your head back on straight,” Buffy said to Rodney before she reached for Ronon’s hand, and the two walked through.

Jack eyed the new giant man warily. “So you’re bringing aliens over without permission now, Danny-boy?” he asked.

“My daughter wanted to come home for a few days,” Daniel said, giving Jack a pointed look.

“Where I go, Ro goes,” Buffy said with a smirk. She let go of Ronon’s hand, and then she stepped forward to give Jack a tight hug. “Good to see you, old man.”

“You, too, kiddo,” Jack said, hugging her. “I’m very glad you’re not dead.”

“Yea, being dead is so last year,” Buffy said with a smirk. Then she grinned at Sam. “Hi, Sam.” 

Samantha held out her arms to hug Buffy. “Welcome home, Buffy,” she said.

“Who’s the big guy?” Jack asked.

“This is Ronon,” Buffy said. “He was on the planet I woke up on, running from Wraith. He and I killed a bunch together while we fled for our lives, hopping from planet to planet before running in to John and his team. Dr. Beckett removed the tracking bug the Wraith had planted on Ronon.”

“They planted a tracker on him?” Jack asked.

“They like to play with their food,” Buffy said grimly.

“I was a runner for several years,” Ronon said. 

“Wow, that’s horrible,” Sam said. 

“He has to fill out some forms, Buffy,” Jack said. “Aliens can’t just wander around on Earth. It’s a security risk.”

“I want him to meet my friends,” Buffy said. “He’s not a security risk.” There was a dangerous glint to her eyes that Dawn and Xander were more than familiar with.

Jack didn’t want to upset her, so he didn’t argue. He glanced at Samantha, who jumped in to help.

“He still has to go to medical bay and get checked out—you both do,” Samantha said. “You, too, Xander. It’s protocol.”

“Seriously?” Buffy said, impatiently.

“Dawn, go with them. Dr. Lam will definitely want to make sure you’re okay,” Daniel said.

“We’ve brought back things from our travels that we weren’t aware of,” Sam explained. “Lives were lost. We have to always be safe and not take a chance.”

“Don’t be a baby,” Jack said when Buffy got that stubborn look in her eye. “I hate the big needles too, but suck it up, solider.”

“I’m not a solider!” Buffy insisted.

“Aren’t you?” he countered.

“Fine,” Buffy said. “Come on, Ro. Let’s get this over with.”

“I’ll catch up,” Daniel said. When Samantha led them to medical bay, he looked at Jack. “Doesn’t she look great?”

“For a girl supposed to be dead? She looks fantastic!” Jack said with a grin. He embraced his friend. “So did you have fun visiting the lost city?”

“It’s incredible, Jack!” Daniel said. “You won’t believe what Buffy found. Teal’c’s going to die when he sees her lightsaber.”

“She has a lightsaber?” Jack asked.

Daniel nodded with a grin. “One that only works when she touches it. I think it was made for a slayer,” he said.

“So what do you know about the big guy shadowing her?” Jack asked.

Daniel shrugged. “Not much yet,” he said. “Just what she told you. She’s very close to him.”

“Lovers?” Jack asked.

Daniel frowned. “I’m not sure,” he said. “They don’t touch like lovers, but he’s very protective. He’d kill anyone who threatened her—she’d do the same.”

“A bond forged while they fought constantly for their lives,” Jack said. “I get that.”

“It was a bond forged quickly because Buffy was found just a few weeks after she fell through the portal,” Daniel said.

“You know Landry won’t like her wanting to leave. We haven’t even let Vala leave yet,” Jack said.

“I don’t think Buffy will take no for an answer,” Daniel said honestly.

“Let’s go talk to the general,” Jack said. The Summer girls were too much like their father, causing chaos wherever they went. However, like their father, they gave so much back that it was hard to be upset over the chaos.

Cameron was in Landry’s office and greeted the returning archeologist with a grin. “How’s the girls?” he asked.

“Good. They are in medical right now,” Daniel said.

“Buffy came back?” Cameron asked, his eyes lighting up.

“For a visit,” Daniel said. “She feels that she is called to help the Pegasus galaxy with their Wraith problem.”

“I’m sure they could use someone with her gifts,” he said.

“Well, she’s not alone,” Jack said. “She brought back with her a very large man, who fights the Wraith with her. He was on the planet she woke up on.”

“They’re very close, and Buffy won’t be happy if he’s not allowed to leave with her,” Daniel said, looking at the general.

General Landry sighed and considered it. “Dr. Jackson, can you make sure he is in your presence at all times? No offense to your daughter, but we have to keep a lid on this. Your daughter is a wild card in every situation. She has her own instincts that she will always heed over rules or protocol.”

“I will be with them,” he said. “She’s only going to be in town a few days.”

“Don’t let her fly him to the hellmouth or anything, okay?” General Landry said.

Daniel grinned. “I’ll be sure and nix that if it comes up,” he said. “Buffy did acquire an Atlantean weapon that she brought back with her. I promised Dr. Weir that I’d catalog it. Buffy’s very excited about it. Teal’c will be, too.”

Jack grinned. “He will be overjoyed,” he said. Teal’c’s love and reverence for _Star Wars_ was legendary throughout the base. 

“What is it?” Cameron asked, intrigued.

“You’ll have to wait and see,” Jack said.

“Keep me posted,” Landry said.

“Well, I’m coming with you,” Cameron said. “I want to see this weapon.”

Vala pounced on Daniel as soon as he went around the corner. “Daniel! Are you all right? Did you bring me back any Atlantean treasures?” she asked hopefully.

“I brought back my daughter, Buffy,” Daniel said. “She’s in medical if you want to meet her.”

“Since I’ve heard all about her feats, of course, I want to meet her,” Vala said.

They made their way to medical bay where Teal’c and Sam were already speaking to Buffy.

“Buffy, Cameron and Jack are eager to see your weapon,” Daniel said.

Buffy jumped down from the stool she was on. “Who’s the girl?” she asked, eying Vala.

“Girl?” Vala asked with a look of disbelief. “Do I look like a girl?” She ran her hands down her ample curves.

Buffy grinned. “Forgive me. You are all woman!” she said.

“This is Vala,” Daniel said. “The bane of my existence.”

“Now, Daniel, that’s not true,” Vala said with a pout. “If I hadn’t handcuffed us together, you wouldn’t have gotten to know at all about the Ori and what they were doing.”

“Ori?” Buffy asked.

“We’ll catch you up later,” Daniel said. He prayed his daughter would not question the handcuff remark and sought to distract her. “Did you show Teal’c your lightsaber?”

Teal’c had a look of wonder on his face. “You have a lightsaber? A Jedi weapon—the most elegant of weapons?” he asked.

“I sure do!” Buffy said, reaching into the small satchel she carried. “It was in this room that only I could access on Atlantis.”

“Really?” Sam asked, her eyes lit up. 

“Rodney is still pissed,” Buffy said smugly as she activated it. The blue blade powered on, causing the audience to look as impressed as Teal’c.

“Scientist have been trying for decades to recreate George Lucas’ vision of a lightsaber,” Samantha said. “They’ve not found a sensible design. Not one like this.” She was itching to take the thing apart. “I’d love to know what powers it.”

“We can study it later,” Daniel said. She gave him a pleased smile.

“May I?” Teal’c said.

“It won’t stay activated unless I’m touching it,” Buffy said. She handed it to Teal’c. The blade, however, stayed lit.

“Are you using the Force, Buffy?” Xander asked. “It wouldn’t work when I touched it.”

“No one except Rodney and John tried,” Buffy said. “I figured it had to be just me.”

“Maybe it responds to warriors,” Ronon said, holding out his hand.

“John is a military officer,” Jack said. “Shouldn’t it work for him? Plus, has the ancient gene.”

Ronon tried it, and it worked for him also.

When Jack tried it and it didn’t work, he gave Buffy a suspicious look. “Okay, something is fishy,” he said.

Buffy laughed. “Okay, I admit. It’s me,” she said.

Daniel gave her an inquisitive look. “Does it have a psychic bond with you?” he wondered. It was the most logical explanation.

Buffy nodded. “Yep!” she said. “It has to. I knew from your comments and spending time with Teal’c in Sunnydale how much it would mean to him, so I told it to stay on.”

“And it did!” Xander said excitedly. “So now you have to let me play with it, too!”

“I am most grateful for the experience, Buffy Jackson,” Teal’c said.

“Summers, remember?” Buffy said.

“I thought maybe in your second life you could just be Jackson,” Teal’c said with a small smirk.

“I suppose so,” she acknowledged. Her dad flashed her a loving look.

“Are you ready to go home?” he asked his daughters.

“You can finally see the house Dad got for us,” Dawn said eagerly.

“Now, Dawn, you and I need to talk,” Jack said, gesturing for her to come closer.

Dawn gave her dad an anxious glance. When he seemed unconcerned, she relaxed. “What’s up, Jack?” she asked.

“First of all, I told you to call me Uncle Jack,” Jack said. “I’m your dad’s closest friend, and he has no siblings.”

“Okay, Uncle Jack,” Dawn said with a cheeky grin. “What else?”

“I’m going to be in charge of Operation Dawn Patrol,” Jack said with a wide grin.

“Seriously? That’s what they’re calling it?” Dawn asked, her mouth open in shock. “You do realize Xander and everyone has used that in reference to babysitting me since forever!”

“Well, now it’s official and much more important,” Jack said with a wink. “My job is to run logistics, see to your well-being, and work out a schedule. That means no unauthorized portal hopping, okay?”

“They can’t tell me I can’t see my sister!” she said stubbornly.

“No one is saying that, Dawn, but you can’t take risks like that,” Jack said. “The U. S. government will be paying you a standard consultant fee, Dawn, and they will need you to be more responsible and less impetuous.”

Dawn sighed. “Fine,” she said.

“You can trust me,” Jack said. “You know that I will always be on your side and watch out for what’s best for you.”

“Okay,” she said.

Glad that was resolved, Jack took his turn speaking with Buffy and chatting with her new friend.

Ronon didn’t like being underground like they were and was very relieved when they finished talking and headed to their vehicles.

Buffy was bouncing in her seat next to Ronon as they approached her family’s new home. “I cannot wait to see Willow and Tara!” she said excitedly.

Ronon smiled, happy to see her so happy. He knew how much she loved her friends, and he was glad that she’d agreed to this visit. She needed it more than she realized. Discovering there were survivors from his home planet had brought him both peace and joy. Being with her family would do the same for Buffy. 

As soon as the car paused, she flew out the door and into a redheaded woman’s arms.

Willow and Tara were on the porch watching for them, and they were stunned to see Buffy jump out of the car. No one had called to warn them of her arrival. Dawn had sent a text saying she was back and coming home with Xander.

“I cannot believe it!” Willow squealed. “You’re actually here!” 

Tara was crying silent tears as she waited for her chance to hug Buffy.

“Tara, I missed you,” Buffy said, turning to her and carefully pulled her in to a hug.

“We’re so glad you’re back,” Tara said.

Not wanting to mar their reunion, Buffy never said anything about her plans to return to Atlantis.

“Guys, this is my friend Ronon,” Buffy said when the hugging was ended.

The girls both tilted their necks to meet the very tall man’s eyes.

“Oh my,” Tara murmured, reaching for Willow’s hands. Looming men still made her nervous.

Ronon sensed her anxiety and tried to put her at ease. “Ladies,” he said, smiling. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“Ro and I killed Wraith together on the planet I woke up on,” Buffy explained. “He’s my bodyguard, and I am his.”

“’Cause he obviously needs one,” Xander said with a leer. Then he glanced at Willow. “What? No love for me? I only traveled to another freakin’ galaxy!”

Willow laughed and pulled him in for a hug. “I am so happy you’re okay, and I am so mad that you went and I didn’t,” she said.

“Just as I predicted,” Xander said, flashing Dawn a knowing look.

“I called Giles and told him what happened,” Willow said. “He told Anya.”

Xander winced. “I better call her,” he said.

“She’s not already here?” Buffy asked, frowning. “You didn’t break up, did you?”

“No, of course not,” Xander said. “She just isn’t ready to leave the hellmouth.”

“Well, she is now,” Willow added. “At least long enough to assure herself that you are okay.”

“She’s on her way?” Xander asked both excited and wary. He was in for a tongue-lashing.

“Yep,” Willow said. Then she glanced at Buffy. “But she’s not alone.”

Buffy’s eyes lit up. “Giles? Giles is coming, too?” she asked.

“No, sorry. He didn’t know you’d be here,” Willow said. “But we’ll call him, so he can fly for a visit.”

“I’ll call him,” Dawn said, pulling out her phone.

“So who is coming with Anya?” Buffy asked.

“Spike,” Willow said.

“Spike? Why is Spike leaving the hellmouth?” Buffy asked, confused. “There’s no demons here for him to get his jollies beating up.”

“That’s the thing, Buffy. Spike isn’t quite the same as he was when you left,” Willow said.

“What? He stopped dying his hair white?” Xander asked with a snort.

“Nope,” Willow said. “You’re not going to believe this, but Angel and Giles both confirmed this. Somehow, Spike went and got back his soul.”

Buffy blinked, not sure she heard Willow right. It was too incredulous, so she must have misunderstood.   
“Say that again?” she asked.

“Spike has a soul now,” Willow said.

Buffy’s mouth fell open, but no words came out.

Her mind refused to corporate. 

How the hell did Spike get a soul?

***** _To Be Continued*****_

_Spuffy fans, don’t get too excited. Many of you know I am strongly anti-Spuffy, but I do enjoy Spike in moderation. Writing Angel and Spike scenes, though, is my preference. However, I couldn’t resist a Ronon-Spike showdown of some sorts. Review and tell me what you’re thinking. Thanks!_


	14. Meant to Be?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I don’t think Stargate Atlantis ever said much about whether or not Ronon had a sister, so I made one up. If I’m wrong, forgive me.

_*****Colorado Springs*****_

Buffy woke up in her old bed but in a new room. However, she had a warm body wrapped around her. Smiling, she turned and stared at Ronon’s face. He tried to sleep on the floor in her little attic room, but she refused as her bed was a double. After several hours visiting with her friends, they fell asleep side by side on the bed. During the night, though, both had turned, and his arm and leg were over hers.

He was such a sweet teddy bar but also a warrior. The paradox of the man was one of the things she liked most about him. Her hand rose to touch his face, feeling his scruffy facial hair. Hairy men had never been a turn on for her. In fact, it normally made her wince, but on him it was perfect. He was perfect.

Ronon could feel her touch and smiled without opening his eyes. “Good morning,” he said.

“Good morning,” she said. “Are you going to open those eyes?”

“If I must,” he said, opening them. Looking into her eyes in the morning was the best way to start a day. 

“Ro, I’m really thinking I want to kiss you,” she confessed.

He smiled. “Really?” he asked.

Before she could move, though, there was a knock at the door.

“Are you lazy bugs going to get up or what?” Dawn said, impatient.

Buffy turned. “To be continued,” she murmured.

Ronon grinned and sat up. Buffy had just gotten out of the bed when Dawn pushed open the door and came in.

“Manners, Dawn! You’re not twelve anymore,” Buffy said in annoyance.

“Tara made breakfast, and Dad told me to come get you,” Dawn said. She glanced at the bed, taking in the fact that they slept in the same bed and gave her sister a knowing smirk before leaving.

Buffy groaned. “I’d forgotten what a nosey brat my sister is!” she complained.

Ronon grinned. “That’s what little sisters are for,” he said. “I had one once.”

When he said things like that, Buffy felt a pang of sorrow for him. “I’m sorry, Ro,” she said softly.

“It’s okay,” he said. “She died before the culling.”

“What happened?” Buffy asked.

“She got sick when she was sixteen and never recovered,” he said. “She wasted away for a year before leaving us, but we got to say our goodbyes. After the destruction of our planet, I was glad she wasn’t there to see it. Unlike my family, she died surrounded by everyone that loved her—in peace.”

“I’m glad,” Buffy said, going over and hugging him as he stood.

Ronon’s arms went around her. She made the ache inside of him ease more and more.

When she made it downstairs, she and Ronon were both presentable. However, Anya was there.

“Anya?” she asked, smiling. Anya smiled and stood up from the table.

“Yes, I’m here,” she said. “You look amazingly undead!”

“I know, right?” Buffy said, moving to hug her. “I’m so glad you are here!”

“I came to check on Xander, who thinks it’s okay to go to other universes without me,” she said, giving him a pointed glare. “But to have you here is a nice surprise.” Then she glanced at Buffy’s companion and her eyes widened. “Who is your very hunklicious companion? Is he giving you orgasms?”

Ronon’s mouth opened slightly at her question, and he glanced at Buffy for her response.

Buffy grinned. “I missed you, Anya. No one in Atlantis is nearly as open as you!” she said. “This is Ronon Dex. He’s the man I met when I returned to some alien planet in the Pegasus galaxy. We’ve saved each other’s life a lot when we were running from the Wraith.”

“So no orgasms?” Anya asked, looking sad.

“Anya!” Xander scolded.

“No, sorry,” Buffy said with a chuckle. Death put things in perspective, and Anya didn’t even embarrass her anymore. She looked up at Ronon. “Forgive her, Ro. She’s a thousand-year-old former demon, and she has no filter.”

“Nice to meet you, Ronon,” Anya said, mentally wondering if everything was as large as the rest of him.

“Uh, you too,” he said weakly. Although he admired bold women, he wasn’t prepared for that question in front of Buffy’s father and much younger sister. Dawn was looking at him with way too much speculation.

Xander was both amused and a tad jealous at her obvious admiration of Ronon. He knew her so well that he knew what she was thinking and sought to distract her before she could embarrass the poor guy further. He looked more mute than normal. “The Wraith are the enemy that is plaguing the Pegasus galaxy,” he explained.

“Yes, they’re really hideous,” Buffy added as she started filling a plate of food. Ronon picked up a plate and sat down next to her. Daniel was at one end and Dawn at the other. Buffy was next to Dawn and across from Xander and Anya. Willow was next to Daniel, leaving the spot on Ronon’s other side open.

“They’re like some kind of hive people—like a cross between bugs and people—if you can imagine,” Buffy said, causing Dawn to shudder.

“That sounds really gross,” Anya said. “They’re not going to come here to Earth, right?”

“No,” Buffy assured her. “Not if I can help it. That’s why I’m going back to Atlantis.”

“You’re going to fight bug people?” Anya said, frowning. She looked at Xander. “Don’t get any ideas. You are so not going to be doing that!”

Xander grinned. “Don’t worry, Ahn. I have no plans on fighting bug people with the Atlantis crew,” he said. “But I am very glad I got to go see it. It was very cool.”

“It’s so not fair,” Willow grumbled. 

“So, sweetheart, what do you want to do today?” Daniel asked. “I’d love to show you around. Jack wants to have a barbeque tomorrow at his house. He’s already texted me.”

“That’d be great,” Buffy said. She looked at Ronon. “Ro, any thoughts?”

He shook his head. “No. I’m good with anything. I’d be nice to see a planet not ravished by the Wraith,” he said.

“So true,” Buffy said, flashing him a smile.

Her father sighed. “The Wraith, hopefully, will never get anywhere near our galaxy. The Asgards wouldn’t let them,” he said.

“Ronon and I hope to work on keeping the population down with the Atlantis crew,” Buffy said with an eager smile. 

“Do you miss the vamps?” Xander asked.

“Not particularly,” she said. “I do miss having a good fight, but Ro is a good workout buddy.”

“Is that all he is? A buddy?” Anya asked like only she would. It was impossible to believe a man that hot was not giving Buffy orgasms. Had he been friend

“No, of course not,” Buffy said, smiling at him. “He’s my partner.”

“Why don’t you save the inquisition until we’ve known Ronon for more than a minute, hon,” Xander suggested, trying to give her a hint.

As always though, she was oblivious. “What? You weren’t wondering the same thing?” she said pointedly.

“Oh, Buffy, we need to tell you that Spike is here,” Dawn said, changing the subject to try and make up for intruding on Buffy that morning.

“Seriously? Does he actually have a soul?” she asked. “Where is he?”

“He’s in the basement sleeping,” Daniel said. “He seemed a bit off.”

“It’ll take him a while to get his footing, I’d imagine,” Buffy said. “I’m glad he has a soul, though, because it means we won’t have to worry about the chip going bad and him going on a killing spree.

“He’d never hurt us,” Dawn defended. “Even before he got the chip, he didn’t try seriously.”

“Uh, yes, he did, Dawn,” Buffy said. “He tried to kill me more than once. You just never saw.”

“He’d not do that now,” Dawn said. “He loves you. He loved you before the soul and was obsessed with you before the chip.”

“He had no soul, Dawn, so he couldn’t really love,” Buffy clarified. “However, he did protect you, so I’m grateful for Spike.”

“Yes, we owe him a debt,” Daniel agreed. “As long as he’s willing to fight the good fight, we’ll give him the benefit of the doubt.”

Ronon frowned, not liking what he was hearing. Buffy had never mentioned that another vampire besides Angel was in love with her, or that the vampire had tried to kill her.

“So what’s the plan with him?” Buffy asked.

“We’re not sure,” Daniel said.

“You know he might be useful to SGC,” Willow said. “He’s a fighter.”

“A fighter who’s got a mortal allergy to sunlight,” Anya pointed out.

“Actually, as vampires originate from Earth, we don’t actually know if he’d have the same problem on other planets,” Willow said.

“It’s not like he’d want to take that risk,” Dawn pointed out. “Go into the gate and get dusted.”

“Naturally, he’d take a night trip and run an experiment,” Daniel pointed out. “Maybe on our Alpha Site.”

“The SGC would allow a vampire to work for them? That’s crazy,” Buffy said.

“I don’t know,” Daniel said. “The SGC would treat him as an alien species most likely.”

“So what do you think of the house?” Xander asked Buffy and then looked at Anya.

“It’s really amazing,” Buffy said. “I can’t believe you guys decided to all live together.”

“Well, I had no family for so long, but now I have all of you guys,” Daniel said, smiling at all Buffy’s friends.

“That’s so sweet, Dad,” Buffy said. 

“He’s the best dad ever,” Willow said, giving him a beaming smile. “We decided to borrow him for our own.”

“True,” Tara said, giving him a shy smile.

“Tara takes good care of all of us,” Daniel said, winking at her.

“She does,” Willow said, leaning over to kiss her.

“Anya, how long are you going to stay?” Buffy asked.

“I don’t know,” Anya said. “I do like being with my Xander again. If I stay gone too long, there’s no telling what these people will talk him into doing.” 

Xander grinned and reached for her hand. “I think if you give this place a chance, you might decide you like it,” he said. “There’s no hellmouth, but there’s a lot of New Agers here. You could talk to Giles about starting a shop of sorts here. Focus on candles and crystals and more New Age stuff.”

“Hmm. Maybe,” Anya said. 

“Tell me, Will about what you and Tara are up to here,” Buffy said. “Xander gave me a rundown.”

So the girls chatted, sharing with Buffy what they were doing and the classes they were taking as the semester had just began.

“Buffy, I was thinking that if you want to apply, we can have you do your degree long distance,” Daniel said.

“Really long distance,” Dawn said with a snicker.

“That’s possible?” Buffy asked.

“Well, SGC has some things worked out with the Colorado Springs branch of University of Colorado,” Daniel said. “There’s enough Ph.D’s at Atlantis that could administer examines, or you could show up for exams.”

“Since I can just pop her over,” Dawn said with a proud grin.

“Dawn Patrol is official now,” Xander said, smiling at her.

“That would be cool, Dad,” Buffy said. “Why don’t we plan to stop by there tomorrow? Show me the campus, and I can pick up an admissions package.”

“What would you want to major in?” Tara asked.

“She doesn’t have to declare until her junior year, “Willow said.

“Actually, I think I might want to study military science,” Buffy said. “That’s a real thing, right?”

Daniel looked surprised. “Really? Has Jack been talking to you?” he wondered.

Buffy laughed. “No, Dad. I just thought as I’m clearly a weapon, and I’m going to be in battles that maybe I should study other people who led battles and stuff,” she shared.

“That’s not a bad idea, sweetie,” Daniel said. “Jack would be very proud.”

“No dead languages?” Dawn asked with a smirk.

“Most definitely not,” Buffy said. “I know enough. French, Latin, and enough Sumerian.”

Daniel gave her a proud smile. “My girls are brilliant,” he said. Few American girls her age knew two language let alone any of two dead languages.

Ronon was enjoying watching Buffy with her family and friends, but he didn’t say much. Instead, he simply loved learning more about her. Although she’d talked a lot about everyone at the table, he now understood her jokes and comments she’d made just a bit more. Unlike him, her loved ones were still alive. He was happy for her.

Daniel took the pair on a tour after dropping Dawn off at school. 

Buffy smiled as she looked at the houses that passed by. “This town seems so tranquil,” she observed.

“It is,” Daniel said, looking in his rearview mirror at her. She gave Ronon the roomer front seat.

“The rocks and mountains that are not too far make it so pretty,” Buffy said. “I like it.”

“I’m glad, honey,” he said. Just having her in his car brought him incredible joy. He never wanted the day to end.

However, it was getting dark when they finally pulled in to the drive. When they made it inside, Spike was smoking on the front porch. He looked a bit stunned to see Buffy.

“So they weren’t lying,” he said. “You really are alive.”

“Yep,” Buffy said. “It’s good to see you, Spike. I heard you went and got a soul. Are you okay?”

“I’m okay,” he said. “I can breathe better just being away from the hellmouth. I guess Angel face was finally right about something.”

Buffy grinned. “I’m glad, Spike,” she said. “I guess I should call Angel. Does he know I’m not dead?”

“Giles told him,” Spike said. He glanced at the towering man behind her. “Who’s the giant?”

“This is Ronon,” Buffy said.

“Hey,” Ronon said, eying the vampire with interest. “So where are your fangs?”

“What you think I’m just going to whip them out just because you ask?” Spike said with a snort.

Buffy laughed. “You know you love showing off. Show Ronon your vamp face,” she said.

“You’ve never seen a vampire before?” Spike said. 

Ronon shook his head. “No,” he said.

Spike vamped out for him while Ronon looked him over. “That’s much more attractive than the Wraith,” he commented.

Spike looked proud and then confused. “Wraith? What kind of demon are they?” he asked.

“A kind that is buglike,” Buffy answered, giving Spike a look. “They feed off human life force, however.”

“No blood?” Spike asked with interest.

She shook her head. “No. They have feeders on their hands,” Buffy said.

“Sounds like a worthy opponent,” Spike said. “Is that your new gig? Fighting these Wraith?”

“For the most part,” she acknowledged. “But I can’t really talk about it. It’s classified.”

Spikes smirked. “Oh, I see. Aliens, not demons,” he said. “I’d love to be a part of that fight.”

“Well, that’s not happening,” Buffy said. “But I think Dad’s going to contact Jack about you. Maybe they’d be willing to take you on as an alien combatant.”

“Really?” Spike said with an eager grin.

“Who knows?” Buffy said. She clasped him on the back as she followed Ronon into the house.

Spike sighed as he gazed longingly after her. Even though he knew she was a dream that would never be, it still made his undead heart jump whenever she was near.

***** _The Next Day*****_

Ronon woke up first, and he was unsure of himself. He’d had a good time with Buffy and her dad as they toured around. Meeting the vampire who was clearly carrying a torch for her was irritating, but Buffy treated him cordially but not intimately. They’d had a fun evening with her family and friends even though the vampire was clearly very close with Buffy’s sister, which concerned Ronon. However, no one seemed worried about him. Buffy explained about the chip, but Ronon still watched him closely in case he became aggressive. 

When they were going to bed for the night, Buffy teased him about his vigilance.

_“I saw you watching Spike like a hawk!” she said with a grin._

_“I don’t like someone so dangerous close to you and your family,” he said._

_“I’m dangerous, but I’d never hurt them. You are dangerous, too,” she pointed out._

_“Never to you or yours,” he replied._

_“Neither is Spike. Xander’s the only one he’d ever want to hurt, but he can’t because of the chip,” she said._

_“I don’t like it,” he said._

_She’d grinned and pulled his head down for a light kiss. “Trust me, Ro. I’d never endanger my family,” she said._

Then she’d went to take a shower. Her open affection with him twisted him up inside, so he faked sleep when she returned to bed.

Now he was awake, and he wondered if he should talk about what she said the morning before. Her light kiss last night had not been sexual but affectionate.

Did he want things to change between them? Could he be closer to her and then risk one day losing her to the violence she thrived on?

He’d seen her fight and knew exactly how much she loved fighting. It was a part of her; a part she said she used to deny.

Unsure of how he felt, he got up and went to the bathroom.

Hours later, they were at Jack’s for the barbeque. The easy presence of Teal’c made him feel comfortable around so many strangers. Buffy, of course, was like the butterfly he always considered her to be. She went from person to person bringing laughter and smiles with everyone.

Eventually, though, Jack came up to him. “Sir,” Ronon said.

“Please, call me Jack,” Jack said.

Ronon nodded without speaking. There were many possible things the man wanted to say to Ronon. He surprised, Ronon, though, by saying, “I was really sorry to hear about your family and your home.”

“Thank you,” he said.

“I lost a son years ago, and I know some losses never heal completely,” Jack said.

“I’m sorry for your loss,” Ronon said, surprised at the man’s frankness.

“Thanks,” Jack said. He stood in silence, watching Buffy show Anya her lightsaber. “So what’s your intentions concerning Buffy?”

Ronon looked up, once again surprised by the man. “My intentions? What do you mean by that?” he asked.

“Buffy’s obviously attached to you, and I want to know if that attachment is why she doesn’t want to be here with her family,” he asked.

Ronon knew that wasn’t true, but he didn’t want to give the man too much. “I don’t know how it’s any of your business,” he said.

“It’s my business because Daniel is my best friend, and he’s lost one wife and Buffy’s mother already. Then he thought he lost her,” Jack said. “You can’t know the kind of guy Daniel is because there’s no one else like him anywhere. He’s got the biggest heart I’ve ever seen, and he’s entirely selfless. He deserves to have is daughter with him.”

“I’d never take his daughter from him,” he said. “Buffy saved me, and I owe her everything. She matters, and if she wanted to stay here, I’d just stay with her here.”

Jack looked at him a long moment and then grinned. “Okay then,” he said. “Would you like a beer?”

“Sure,” Ronon said. 

So he was feeling pretty good about his time with Buffy’s family and friends. Then they pulled up to her home after dinner.

“Someone’s here,” Dawn said. She jumped out of the car. “Angel!”

Ronon watched Buffy’s face, and he knew—this was the one who mattered.

Then Buffy got out of the car. “Angel?” she said.

Angel stepped off the porch; Spike a step behind him. 

Then Buffy flew into Angel’s arms.

***** _To Be Continued*****_

_In my story, I don’t think Spike could do much as Buffy and Spike were never lovers in this version. Angel, though, is much more effective. Reviews are great. Thanks for reading._


	15. Love and Adventure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter does include some of the events of episode 6 “Beachhead” from season 9. Obviously, there’s some changes. Remember, Vala and Daniel are not connected anymore due to Willow and Tara’s magic. Mostly, this story will dramatically veer from SG-1’s season 9 after the events of this chapter.

_******Where We Left Off*****_

Buffy felt the bittersweet love she always felt when she was with Angel, and she gave him a tight hug.

“I can’t believe you’re here!” she said, pulling back to look at him.

Angel smiled down at her. “Isn’t that my line? You were the one that jumped through a portal,” he said, cupping her cheek with his hand.

Ronon watched the two, not liking at all how familiar the man was with Buffy. When Angel touched her cheek, he clenched his fist.

“Don’t worry about Angel,” Xander whispered. “They can’t be together.”

Ronon, of course, knew that. He knew the story and why that was true, but seeing the bond between them was altogether different.

“The ponce had to come see you,” Spike said, rolling his eyes. “I told him you were fine.”

“Well, I just needed to see you for myself,” Angel said.

“I’m glad you did,” Buffy said, her arm around his waist. “You can come meet Ronon. We saved each other a lot. I unascended on the planet he was on. I killed the Wraith that were trying to eat him. Then we spent a few weeks running from them until we were rescued by some people.”

“Uh, Buffy, remember, classified?” Daniel nudged.

“I can’t lie to Angel, Dad,” Buffy said. 

“I didn’t say lie, but you don’t have to offer details,” Daniel said.

“Is the word unascended correct?” Willow wondered, looking at Daniel. “Would it be descended?”

“Or how about returned from the dead?” Xander asked.

“Can we go inside already? I’m tired,” Anya complained as they were still standing on the porch.

Daniel pushed open the door and looked at Angel. “Angel, you are welcome to come in,” he said.

Angel smiled. “Thanks,” he said.

Ronon didn’t like that Buffy had not one but _two_ vampires allowed in her home. While they were running from the Wraith, Buffy told him endless stories about her life on Earth, so he knew plenty about vampires and how things worked.

Xander, of course, noticed how strained Ronon was as he watched Buffy with both Angel and Spike. The laughter and joy the trio were displaying clearly bothered Ronon. 

“They are her past, you know,” Xander reminded him. “She can’t ever be with either of them.”

“She clearly loves them,” he observed.

“Buffy’s got a big heart,” Xander said. “But her and Spike were never a couple.”

Ronon knew that, so he tried to smile as Buffy drew him into the conversation and into her world of sunshine and happiness.

Several hours later, Angel had left, and the house was quiet.

Buffy was trying to wind down enough to sleep, so she was telling Ronon yet another story about the duo. 

“Buffy, it’s after two,” he told her. “We need to go to bed.”

“So did you like them?” Buffy asked as she pulled back her covers and climbed into the bed.

Ronon considered her question, trying to decide how to answer. “They seemed like good guys,” he said. “Devoted to you.”

“Yes, they love me,” she said. “I love them, too, but I’m not _in_ love with them.”

“You’re not?” he asked.

She shook her head. “Spike has proven to be a good friend and a good man—he got his soul back even,” she said. “He might’ve been motivated by his obsession for me, but he doesn’t love me—not really. He loves what I represent. He lives in darkness, and I was his light.”

“And Angel?” he asked.

“I loved Angel with all the breath in my seventeen-year-old body,” she said softly. “Killing him nearly killed me. Getting him back and watching him walk away broke something inside of me. It kept me from really loving Riley. But Angel and I can never be together.”

“What if you could? What if the curse was lifted or something?” Ronon asked.

Buffy shook her head. “Not even then,” she said. “He left me. It was too hard to be with me, so he left. I could never completely trust him again. He broke my heart three times. Once, when he lost his soul. Then when I had to kill him, and then when he left. But I will always care about him—one part of me will always love him.”

Ronon nodded. “I get that,” he said. And he did. He might not get how she could love a vampire, but he knew real love never died completely. 

“What about you?” Buffy asked. “Do you think you will ever want to be married again? Have a family? Or would that be too hard?”

He sat on the bed next to her and thought of how to answer. “I don’t know,” he finally admitted. “Once, I would’ve said no. I couldn’t bear loving someone only to lose them. Getting your heart ripped out like that is unimaginable.”

Buffy felt sad but nodded. “I understand,” she said.

“But sometimes, you can’t help but open yourself up to someone new,” he said, looking intently at her. “A person explodes into your life in such a way, changing it and you for all time.”

Buffy’s heart sped up as she realized what he was saying. “What do you mean?” she asked, afraid she was misunderstanding.

“I’m saying that I really hated seeing you so connected to a guy that wasn’t me,” he admitted. “I’m saying that you have managed to pull me out of my darkness and into your light just like you did those two vampires who love you. But I don’t want to be just another guy you impact with your strength, big heart, and sunny disposition. I want to be more.”

Buffy reached out and grabbed his hand. “You already are,” she said. “My mother sent me to you, and I don’t think any more it was just to save you. We are meant to be together.”

“If you get killed and leave me, I’m going to be so pissed,” he growled.

“I’ll just come back,” she said, stroking his arm. “I’ll always come back to you.” Then she threw herself into his arms and began kissing him.

Ronon’s arms went around her, and he pulled her over until she was in his lap. When he pulled back for breath, he put his hand on her cheek. “I love you,” he said.

Buffy gave him a brilliant smile, tears filling her eyes. “I love you, too,” she said. Then her lips met his again. Soon, she ripped off his shirt, causing him to laugh.

“I would’ve taken it off,” he said. “Like this.” He reached over and pulled her shirt off without damaging it.

“Well, I’m not nearly as patient as you,” she said. Grinning, she threw her arms around his neck and pulled him on top of her.

***** _The Next Day*****_

Buffy woke up the next morning wrapped in his arms. Of course, she didn’t get to enjoy it for long.

“Buffy! Wake up! Dad has news!” Dawn bellowed as she pounded on the door.

“Go away!” Buffy called back.

“Seriously. Dad needs you to come down asap,” Dawn called, trying to open the door.

“Good thing I locked it,” Buffy said with a smirk.

“Smart,” Ronon said. Then he kissed her shoulder and sat up.

“Why is this door locked?” Dawn asked.

“To keep out nosey, loud-mouthed little sisters!” Buffy said, getting out of bed and putting on some clothes.

Ronon watched her and let out a low growl. Buffy looked at him over her shoulder as she snapped on her bra and grinned. “Like the view?” she asked.

“We need some time together,” he said.

“Everyone will leave today, so we’ll have the house to ourselves,” she said as she threw herself on him.

They started to kiss when there was another bang on the door. “Buffy! Things are happening. Important things,” her dad said. “Please come down.”

“I’ll be down in a minute. Promise,” she called out.

When she and Ronon got down to the table, Dawn gave her a hug. “I have to go to school. I’ll see you after, okay?” she said.

“Absolutely,” Buffy said.

Dawn looked up at Ronon and grinned. Then she hugged him, too. “Bye,” she said.

Ronon watched her go in bemusement. 

Anya, though, took one look at the couple and proclaimed, “You had sex!” Then she looked at Xander with a frown. “I thought you said they were just friends.”

“I said friends for now. _For now_!” he reminded her, giving the couple a speculative look.

Buffy felt her face heat up but refused to be embarrassed. She was a grown woman. As she sat down at the table and grabbed a slice of bacon, she calmly said, “Ronon and I love each other a lot, so our relationship is evolving.”

“That’s great!” Willow said with a grin.

“So, there’s a situation at SGC,” Daniel said, choosing to ignore the reference to his daughter’s love life.

“What’s the what?” Buffy asked as she handed Ronon a plate to fill.

“The minor system lord Nerus, a Goa’uld, told Landry right before you came about the Ori moving closer to our galaxy,” he shared.

“These are the crazy preachers, right?” Buffy asked. 

“Basically,” Daniel said, knowing it was a waste of time trying to get his daughter to be precise about anything. “On the planet Kallena, they are trying to stage a beachhead for their invasion of our galaxy.”

Buffy stopped shoveling in food and looked up in concern. “What?” Buffy asked.

“Aliens are about to invade,” Anya said, unconcerned. “Keep up.”

“That doesn’t concern you, Ahn?” Xander asked, frowning at her.

“No,” she said. “Slayers and witches save Earth from apocalypses, and Buffy’s superhero dad will stop the Earth from being invaded from aliens.”

Daniel grinned. “Well, we hope,” he said. “But Cameron thinks we should take our secret weapons, Willow and Tara, with us and see if they can do anything. The Ori’s priest, the Prior, seem to use some type of magic or power. We can’t hope to combat them if we see them face-to-face."

"You’re going into space?” Buffy asked, looking at Willow, who looked very excited and nervous.

She nodded. “The President agreed that our clearance covers world saving expeditions,” she said.

“Are you going?” Buffy asked her Dad.

He nodded. “If you can stay on Earth a few days and keep an eye on Dawn with Xander and Anya, that would be great,” he said. “I can’t say how long we’ll be gone.”

Buffy looked at Ronon, who shrugged. “Sure,” she said. “Atlantis and the Wraith aren’t going anywhere.”

“Because of Ronon’s alien status, you guys can’t leave the city, though, okay?” Daniel said. “If you want to show him places across the country, it will have to wait until I return.”

“That’s okay. On another trip, we can do that,” Buffy said.

“So they’re going to let Tara and I ride on the Prometheus,” Willow said, giddy. “It’s a spaceship, Buffy. I’m going on a _spaceship_!”

“And I’m not jealous—not at all,” Xander said glumly.

“You went to Atlantis,” Willow said smugly.

Xander brightened up. “That’s right. I did,” he said.

“We got to go,” Daniel said, looking at his watch. He stood up. “I’ll contact you as soon as we return.”

“You better keep my girls safe,” Xander said, suddenly feeling anxious.

Willow and Tara hugged him. “We’ll be fine,” Willow assured him.

Buffy took her turn hugging them and her dad. “Be careful, Dad,” she said. “I’ll be really pissed if you get yourself kidnapped or killed.”

“No plans for that,” Daniel said. “I wouldn’t be going at all except Vala and I have previous experience with the Ori—no one else in SGC has had that displeasure.”

“When do I get spend time with Vala?” Buffy asked.

“She’s at SGC,” Daniel said. “You are welcome to come see us off.”

“I have to go to work,” Xander said. “Anya, are you going to look and see if you can find a job?”

She nodded. “Yes. I have three interviews lined up,” she said.

Buffy and Ronon decided to go with them to the mountain and see them off. Vala was anxious and demanding to go.

“Daniel, tell them I need to go. I know these people,” she said.

“Normally, I’d agree, Val, but Willow and Tara are going. We don’t need another civilian,” Daniel said. “Come say hi to, Buffy.”

Vala perked up and looked at the attractive blonde and Ronon with interest. “The mythical creature I’ve heard so much about? Of course!” she said. They had only exchanged greetings the last time they met.

Buffy grinned at the sexpot. “Hi,” she said. “It’s nice to see you again. You remember Ronon.”

Vala looked Ronon up and down, letting out a low whistle. “How could I forget this fine piece of man flesh? Does he belong to you or can I take him for a spin? Your father won’t ever let me have any fun with him,” she said with a sad sigh.

Buffy was torn between amusement and outrage.

“I belong to her,” Ronon said pointedly.

“I like a man that knows his place,” Vala said with a grin.

“You’re incorrigible, aren’t you?” Buffy asked.

“All the good ones are, right?” Vala said with a wink.

Buffy laughed.

“It’s time to go,” Samantha said.

Buffy hugged everyone goodbye. “Be careful,” she said.

“We will,” Willow said. 

“I’ve arranged for one of the guys to drive you back home,” Daniel said.

“I love you, Dad,” she said.

“I love you, too, sweetie,” he said. He held out his hand to Ronon. “Take care of my girls.”

“I will, sir,” Ronon said, shaking his hand.

They stayed until everyone departed, letting Vala distract them with her stories. Buffy liked Vala the more time she spent with her, and they promised to visit her as soon as they could.

***** _Prometheus*****_

Willow couldn’t believe it as she squeezed Tara’s hand tightly. “We’re in space. Oh, my goddess! We’re in space!” she exclaimed. When the stargate wouldn’t connect to Kallana, they decided to take Prometheus and get there a bit later. Willow had all the time she could want to explore the ship and pepper everyone with loads of questions while Tara followed with a fond smile on her face.

They eventually arrive at Kallana.

[Colonel](https://stargate.fandom.com/wiki/Colonel) [Lionel Pendergast](https://stargate.fandom.com/wiki/Lionel_Pendergast), the Prometheus's commanding officer ordered, “Send a message to Stargate Command. We’ve arrived at the beachhead.”

Samantha did so. 

“So what’s next?” Willow asked Daniel.

“Well, there’s going to be Ori on that planet,” Cameron said.

“Indeed,” Teal’c added.

“We have to at least go down and speak to them,” Daniel said.

“Should we come?” Willow said. “If there’s Prior there, we might be useful.”

“That is the reason you girls are here,” Cameron said. “So I think so.”

They used the Mark IX and transported down to the surface.

***** _To Be Continued*****_


	16. SG-V

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is LOOSELY based on the events in season 9 episode 7 “Beachhead.” If I strictly stick to the show, I’ll never get anything written, so consider deviations my creative license. Of course, Vala will NOT be involved as I’ve removed her from that storyline entirely.

****** _SGC******_

General Landry had just said goodbye to Dr. Jackson and his two witches. What strange times he lived in. Now, he considered the proposal that Dr. Jackson had left him with concerning Spike. He called Jack into his office.

Jack was feeling restless since he didn’t get to go with Danny and Sam. Teal’c was working with the free Jaffa, trying to build more alliances to stand against the Ori. He was due back at any time.

“What’s up?” he asked. “Something that needs my experience and wisdom?”

“I wanted you to read Dr. Jackson’s proposal,” Landry said, handing it to Jack as he sat in the chair across from him.

Jack smirked as he read. “He wants you to try Spike out on another planet as he suspects the sun allergy is limited to Earth,” Jack said. “He suggests that we use Xander as his handler. If he has no sun allergy and can be used as an alien combatant like Teal’c, he suggests Colonel Dixon be moved from SG-13 and given command of a new team, designated SG-V.”

“Why would he suggest Dixon over someone else?” Landry wondered.

“Probably because he’s a father of many children,” Jack said with a grin. “Spike and Xander squabble like two kids sometimes. It would take a patient but stern person to keep them in line.”

“Xander’s not finished his training or gotten a degree,” Landry pointed out.

“I believe Danny sees this as not a full-time team,” Jack said. “Dixon is my age, getting close to retirement. He probably wouldn’t mind spending more time on training than full-time in the field.”

“Spike is skilled in hand-to-hand, right?” Landry asked.

“Yes, he is a bit on par with Teal’c actually,” Jack said.

Landry’s face showed his surprise. “Really?”

Jack nodded. “Yes, he’s got those supernatural reflexes and strength. He also heals much faster than human,” Jack said. “Plus, he’s got that chip in his head that won’t allow him to hurt humans.”

“Which brings me to my first thought,” Landry said. “What can he do then? If he can’t fight the Jaffa or soldiers of the Ori, how can he help?”

“The chip should be removed,” Jack said. “The best way to find out if he is a trusted asset is to put him to the test.”

“And risk him hurting others?” Landry asked.

“Well, Buffy and Ronon are on Earth. We could have them accompany Spike to the Alpha Site,” Jack said.

“That might work,” Landry said. “I wouldn’t mind an opportunity to get Dr. Jackson’s daughter assessed.”

“Well, I’ve seen her in action, so the tales are not exaggerated,” Jack said.

“I’m sure they’re not,” Landry said. “To have her fighting the Wraith, though, is not an easy decision for the President to make. Can we afford to lose an asset like her?”

“If she’s at Atlantis, she is still working for us,” Jack said. “Her mother is ascended and watching out for her, so I’m not sure we need to worry too much. She chose to come back to fight at Atlantis. I think she feels her time fighting only for Earth is over.”

Landry nodded. “All right,” he said. “If you will speak with her and Ronon, bring them back to the base.”

“I can do that,” Jack said. He left the office and almost ran into Vala.

“Where are you going? Can I go?” Vala asked eagerly.

“Don’t you have work to do?” Jack asked.

“No. No one’s given me work to do,” Vala said. “Daniel wouldn’t let me go with him, and I’m really bored.”

“I’m going to go get Buffy and see if she will do a few things while she’s in town,” Jack said.

Vala’s eyes lit up. “Oh, she was quite lovely,” she said. “I would love to get to know Daniel’s daughter, and her very sexy companion.”

Jack didn’t see the harm and agreed to allow Vala to go with him to Daniel’s house.

Buffy and Ronon were playing a rousing game of Monopoly with Anya, Dawn, and Xander when the doorbell rang.

“Who could it be?” Buffy asked. “Everyone else we know is in space!”

Xander laughed as Dawn raced to the door. “You’ve been waiting all day to say that, haven’t you?”

Buffy grinned. “I couldn’t resist,” she said.

Ronon was finding relaxing with Buffy’s family a novel experience. They’d spent hours playing alone in her bedroom, but then the need to eat finally forced them from the room. Eventually, the house had filled up when Dawn got out of school. Then Xander and Anya had returned. Ronon couldn’t remember a time when he’d been this happy—not since he’d first became a father. Even thinking of his lost family couldn’t take away from the joy he felt with Buffy. Watching her with her sister and friends just made everything better. Spike’s presence was annoying, but Dawn was clearly attached to the vampire. Ronon decided to tolerate him.

“It’s General Jack,” Dawn said, flashing Jack a cheeky grin. “And Vala.”

“Hello,” Jack said, smiling at the scene. “Monopoly? Great choice to introduce Ronon to America games.”

“I suggested poker but was out voted,” Xander said.

“You suggested strip poker,” Anya pointed out.

Jack grinned, enjoying Xander. “Both are great choices,” he suggested. “But strip poker with a minor—not a good idea.”

“Dawn learned how to play poker from Spike, so there’s no chance she’d be stripping,” Xander said with a snort.

“Strip poker? No one’s taught me that game!” Vala said with interest.

“I taught her kitty poker,” Spike interjected.

Buffy shuddered. “We aren’t using kitties for currency. That’s just un-American,” she said.

“It’s un-all decent people,” Xander added.

“It’s not my fault certain demons have a taste for them,” Spike defended. “I don’t eat them.”

“You’re seriously discussing eating cats?” Jack asked, disturbed.

“I could totally teach you poker,” Dawn said to Vala, who grinned in delight at the teenager.

“What brings you by?” Buffy asked, hoping to change the topic.

“General Landry was wondering if you and Ronon, Spike, and Xander would mind coming to SGC for a bit,” Jack said.

“We’re on Dawn patrol,” Buffy said. 

“I can come,” Dawn said.

“It will go through tomorrow,” Jack said. “Don’t you have school?”

Dawn shrugged. “It’s not like I can’t easily make up a day of school. Your get ten days a semester, and I’ve just missed one,” she said.

Jack looked at Buffy. “That’s your call,” he said.

“Well, I will make sure she does her homework,” Buffy said.

Dawn clapped and started chatting with Vala. “Come see my room,” she said, grabbing Vala’s hand.

“So what’s going on?” Buffy asked after they left the room.

“You dad had an idea that Landry is considering,” Jack shared. He looked at Spike. “It involves him, so we need you there in case it goes wrong.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Spike asked, frowning. 

“We’re going to remove your chip,” Jack informed him.

“What?” Spike asked in shock.

“You’re kidding?” Buffy asked, equally surprised.

“Either he has a soul and is a good man, in which case we can possibly use him at SGC, or he’s a threat to humanity, you can dust him,” Jack explained.

“Hey, I’m not going to go around draining people,” Spike said, defensively.

“You better not,” Buffy said. “If you fight human’s, though, that’s always a temptation. Can you manage that?”

“If the Poof can, so can I!” Spike declared.

“So why do you need me if you have Buffy?” Xander said.

“It’s related,” Jack said. “I’ll explain on the way.”

“Can Anya come?” Xander asked.

Jack knew that Xander loved the former demon, and he wanted her to stick around. An idea occurred to him. “Anya, how many languages do you know?” he asked her.

Anya shrugged. “I don’t know. After a thousand years, you stop counting,” she said. “Many are demon, though, and some aren’t spoken anymore.”

“If you want to make a bit of money as a consultant, you can help Danny with his backlog of translations,” Jack suggested. “It would give you a legitimate reason for being at SGC and keep you from being too bored while I have these kids distracted with a new project.”

“Well, I do like money, but that sounds super boring,” Anya said. “On the other hand, I am curious about what you do.”

“Great. Then welcome to the team,” Jack said with a grin.

Xander flashed him a grateful look. It never occurred to him that Anya could have a real place on SGC. 

Anya wasn’t sure how she felt about going so far underground, but they did give her a tour after she signed a bunch of papers. The Stargate was fascinating. A portal created by an alien race older than she was impressive. Signing the non-disclosure forms was not. “Didn’t I do this back in Sunnydale?” she complained.

“People of Earth seem to love their paperwork,” Vala said. “I signed a thousand papers myself. There a big fan of rules.”

“It’s ‘cause they’re military,” Buffy said. “It’s cool as long as they don’t trap you in a cave with a demon and give you a gun that malfunctions. Lucky for me, I don’t need a gun to kill things.”

Ronon grinned and hugged her against him. “That’s my girl,” he said.

“We are not the initiative,” Jack said, glaring at her.

“I know,” Buffy said with a cheeky grin. “But that really did happen to me.”

Colonel Dixon came into the conference room with Teal’c. “Great, you’re here,” Jack said. “The General tell you about our idea?”

“You want me to lead a mostly untrained human and a vampire on a special team?” Dixon said with a smirk. “I thought it was one of your jokes.”

“No joke, and it was Danny’s idea,” Jack said. “Meet his daughters. This is Buffy and Dawn Summers. Ronon Dex is from Atlantis. That’s Xander Harris and his girlfriend Anya—she’s going to be working on translations. And that’s Spike.”

“That’s the vampire?” Dixon asked, eying him airily.

“I prefer undead American,” Spike said with a grin.

Buffy elbowed him. “Shut your pie hole,” she growled.

Spike grinned at her. “I do miss you,” he said.

Ronon growled at him next, and Jack held up his hand. “None of that,” he said.

“I have fought many times by Spike’s side,” Teal’c said to Dixon. “I can assure you that he is indeed a formidable warrior.”

“Thanks,” Spike said, happy to see his friend. “It’s good to see you again.”

“Yes, it is good to see you,” Teal’c said, Dawn hugged him, happy to see him. Jack shook his hand, slapping him on the shoulder in greeting.

“Good to have you back, buddy,” he said to Teal’c. “You whip those Jaffa in line yet?”

“Alas, the progress is slow as they cannot agree on what approach to take,” Teal’c said.

“Welcome to politics,” Jack said with a smirk.

“Teal’c, you remember, Anya?” Xander asked.

“Of course,” Teal’c said, giving her a warm smile. “It is good that you have joined your family in Colorado. Their family unit is not complete without you.”

Anya was caught off guard by his words and looked at Xander for help. Xander beamed at Teal’c. “That’s what I’ve tried to tell her,” he said, reaching for her hand.

“Let’s sit down and talk about how this could work. Vala, take Anya and Dawn to Danny’s office. You know where his translations are kept. See if there’s any she recognizes.”

“Can the sexy vampire come with us?” Vala asked, eying Spike with interest. So far, they’d distracted her, but she could see how sexy the man was. Spike winked at her, causing her to smile.

“No, Spike has to stay,” Jack said. 

“Later, sweetheart,” Spike said, blowing her a kiss.

“I think I’m going to be sick,” Buffy said.

“Vala,” Jack said sternly. She waved and let the other two the door.

Dixon sat down. “It won’t work unless the undead American can handle sunlight on other planets,” he said.

“Yes,” Jack acknowledged.

“So I get to go through the stargate? What if it vaporizes me?” Spike asked, feeling anxious.

“Then there’s one less vampire in the world,” Xander said with a shrug. “Dawn will miss you.”

“Knock it off,” Jack said. “We have work to do.” 

He began outlining what he was wanting from each of them.

****** _Kallana******_

Willow and Tara looked around at their first alien planet with interest. Then a Prior arrived and began sermonizing. Jaffa were on hand, clearly unhappy with the Prior’s presence but not prepared to oppose him yet.

“You must embrace the Ori,” he said.

“No, we don’t,” Willow said. “You are not welcome in this galaxy, so you need to leave.”

“We will save the souls of everyone we encounter with the truth of Origin,” the Prior said.

“I have my own truth of origin,” Willow said.

“Listen, if you guys don’t vacate the planet and the galaxy, we’re prepared to unleash a nuclear warhead,” Cameron said.

“We do not fear your weapons,” the Prior said.

“You should,” Willow said, linking hands with Tara. They used the Glory teleporting spell to remove the Prior.

Unfortunately, that wasn’t the end of it. Fire rained down on them from above.

“What the hell?” Cameron muttered.

Sam looked at her tablet. “It appears that the Jaffa’s leader, Gerek, has some ships above and doesn’t trust us to deal with the Ori,” she said.

“Great,” Cameron said. “What else is going to go wrong?”

He really shouldn’t have tempted fate.

***** _To Be Continued******_

_Enjoying this? Take a minute to leave a comment. Thanks!_


	17. Taken

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is not particularly canon as I’ve changed things entirely too much.

_******SGC******_

Jack took the end position with Dixon leading the civilians through the Stargate. Buffy, Ronon, Xander, and Spike where walking in pairs behind Dixon as he stepped through the stargate.

Xander was super excited, bouncing like Tigger. He grinned and looked at Spike, who was looking pale. “You okay, Spike? Looking paler than usual,” Xander observed.

“I’m fine. Just contemplating how I could be deader than dead-dead either by that wormhole or the sun on the planet we’re going through,” Spike said.

Ronon and Buffy stepped through the gate behind Dixon while Spike hesitated. Xander sought to distract him and asked, “So why did you call yourself an undead American? I thought you were British?”

“I’ve not been British since I had to kill my mother, who I foolishly turned,” Spike said glumly. Thinking about his poor mother distracted him and before he knew it, he had walked through the gate. No decent Brit would turn their mother into a monster.

It was still nighttime at the Alpha Site.

“See, you’re not dust,” Xander said, slapping him on the back and looking around. 

“Welcome to the Alpha Site,” Jack said. “Sunrise is in one hour.”

“Well, this place doesn’t look alien,” Xander said, looking around in disappointment “It’s like a military base.”

Jack grinned. “That’s ‘cause it _is_ a military base,” he said.

“So, how’s this going to work?” Dixon asked.

“As long as he’s not in full sunlight, he’ll be fine,” Buffy said. “He just waves a hand into the ray, and if it starts to smoke, then we know. Easy-peasy.”

“Sure, no problem,” Spike said. “It’s not your hand that will be burning.”

“No pain no gain,” Buffy said with a smirk. 

Spike glared at her. He wasn’t sure if this was such a good idea after all.

***** _Kallana*****_

While SG-1 was trying to stop the Jaffa from firing on the planet from above, Cameron was under a magical shield Willow and Tara resurrected. “This is cool,” Cameron said, watching the aerial assault bounce off the invisible shield. “This is magic?”

“Yes,” Willow said. After several minutes, there was a pause in the bombardment.

“Is it over?” Tara asked. She was trying to be brave like Willow, but this was so much more intense that fighting on their little hellmouth back in Sunnydale. 

“I think there’s a cease fire,” Cameron said. He radioed his team, who said the Jaffa were finally listening to reason.

The girls brought down the shield and made a slow amble to their ship. Cameron didn’t let down his vigilance. There was no more sign of the Ori, but he wasn’t about to stop looking until they were on the ship.

Neither did Willow as she held Tara’s hand. They weren’t going to relax until they were safely back on the Prometheus. Cameron made it to the ship with the girls right behind him.

Willow released Tara’s hand, so she could step onto the ship. When she turned around to help Tara onto the ship, she wasn’t there.

Frowning, she called out, “Tara?” She looked around at the landscape around the ship, expecting to see her lover, but she was nowhere in sight. Her heart began pounding as fear grew inside her. “Cameron, Tara’s not outside!”

Cameron had just sat in the pilot’s chair when Willow made her announcement. He turned. “What?”

“Tara’s not behind me!” Willow said, a note of panic in her voice.

She went back outside and called out, “Tara! Sweetheart, where did you go? Tara!”

Cameron stepped outside the ship. “What do you mean she’s gone?” he asked. “How can she be gone?”

“I don’t know! I had a hold of her hand and then let go to step into the ship. She was right behind me,” Willow said. “When I turned to help her step up, there was no sign of her!”

They walked around the ship in opposite directions, calling out her name. She wasn’t there.

When they met in front of the ship, Cameron said, “Can your magic help?”

Willow nodded and closed her eyes, reaching out for her beloved. There was nothing, so she kneeled and put her hand into the dirt. Her presence was nowhere. She reached up above into the ships, searching.

Cameron felt the hair on his arms rise as Willow’s hair color began to whiten. Her eyes opened, and the irises were white. “She’s gone. Someone has taken her,” she said flatly. She closed her eyes and let out a piercing cry.

Cameron’s stomach rolled as Willow stood. “One of the Jaffa might’ve beamed her up,” he said. “They won’t hurt her. They would just use her for leverage.”

“The Jaffa don’t have her,” Willow said, her voice now devoid of emotion. “I checked those ships.”

His mouth opened in surprise. “What do you mean you checked those ships? That’s not possible,” he said.

“The planet here has no hellmouth, so the magic is pure. I can channel a lot even without Tara by my side,” Willow said.

“Is that why your hair changed color?” Cameron asked. “Your eyes are completely white!”

Willow nodded. “Yes. I’m afraid that the Ori have taken her,” Willow said, the anger building inside. If they hurt her, Willow would find a way to make them pay.

***** _Alpha Site*****_

Buffy was flirting with Ronon—much to Spike’s disgust—as the sun began to rise. 

“Are you ready to go smoking?” Xander asked Spike with a grin.

“Shut your stinkin’ mouth before I shut it for you!” Spike threatened.

Colonel Dixon came into the room. “Spike, are you ready to test Dr. Jackson’s theory?” he asked.

“My dad always has the theories,” Buffy said with a proud smile.

Ronon’s arm was around her shoulders, and he rubbed her upper arm as he smiled down at her. “He’s smart like his daughter,” he said.

Buffy beamed. No one usually talked about her intelligence, and the fact that he did made her fall just a little bit more in love with him.

Spike glared at the lovey-dovey couple. “I’m ready to get away those two crazy bits,” he said. He approached the ray of sunlight in the doorway. Cautiously, he held up his hand to the sun, but it didn’t burn. Grinning, he stepped into the light. 

“No smoke!” Xander exclaimed.

“I think this is will work,” Spike said as he stepped outside completely. The sun bathed his face with its warmth. 

He could be in the sun—he just had to go to another planet to find this out.

***** _SGC*****_

Dawn giggled as she listened to Anya tell yet another outrageous tale to Val, who would inevitably counter with any even more outrageous one. She’d had dinner with the two women a few hours earlier, and then they’d went back to Val’s room for drinks. Of course, they wouldn’t even give her a sip of anything. Val was too worried about upsetting her dad, and Anya knew the slayer was too prone to violence to risk it. Dawn pouted for a while, but the two women were highly entertaining.

Eventually, she pulled out her cell phone and started recording them. Neither of them noticed.

Anya found her new friend delightful. They had talked at dinner about all the weird human customs, both agreeing that humans were entirely too uptight.

Val shared Anya’s love of money—it was like they were sisters.

Finally, it was time for her to get some sleep.

“I don’t meet to break up the party, but I’m wiped,” Dawn said.

“Are you going to stay in your Dad’s room? It’s across the hall,” Val suggested.

“I will ask the airman that’s in the hall if that’s okay,” she said.

She got up and went to the door, but the airman that was normally there wasn’t. Shrugging, she walked to the door to her dad’s room. It was locked, but she knew how to pick the lock.

Jack was going to check on the girls when he saw Daniel’s youngest picking the lock to his room. He grinned. “So when did your life of crime begin?” he asked, startling her.

Dawn jumped. “Jack! You scared me!” she said.

“Should I apologize for interrupting your crime spree?” Jack asked, laughing.

“Hey, this is my dad’s room! He wouldn’t care,” she insisted.

Jack reached into his pocket and pulled out his key. “Maybe not, but let’s not tell him you know how to pick a lock,” he suggested as he unlocked the door. “How did you know how to do that anyway?”

“Spike taught me,” she said. “Speaking of Spike, is he okay? Did the sun hurt him? Where’s my sister?”

“Your sister and Ronon are going to visit a few other worlds with Spike, and I needed to be back here—the sun on the Alpha Site didn’t harm him,” Jack said. “So it’s looking good.”

Dawn grinned. “That’s awesome! I’m glad for him,” she said. She looked around her dad’s room. “Dad is such a slob. My mother would so not approve!”

“Well, Danny’s needed a woman’s touch for a while now,” Jack said, looking at the piles of papers and books everywhere. “At least the bed’s mostly clear.”

Dawn grinned as she picked up the book on the bed. “Oh, this is that book on ancient Egypt he was telling me about,” she remarked as she began reading the pages.

Jack shook his head, amused. This girl was most definitely Daniel’s kid. Buffy had some of Daniel’s traits—she was good at winning people over like Danny. And she had his heart. But Dawn—Dawn was the most like him.

He gave her a hug and started back to his own quarters when an airman told him he was needed in command.

Walter looked up as he stepped into the gate room. “We got a message from Prometheus,” he said.

“What it say?” Jack asked.

“Tara has disappeared. Willow believes she was taken by the Ori,” Walter said.

“What?” Jack said, shocked. “How did that happen?”

“It was in an instant—something they’ve shown they are capable of doing,” Walter reminded him. 

“What’s the plan?” Jack asked. 

“Colonel Pendergast said he will get back to us in one hour,” Walter told him.

“So I’ll go grab a coffee,” Jack said grimly. “Have you informed General Landry?”

Walter nodded. “He is aware. I’m to keep him posted,” Walter said.

Jack nodded and went to the mess hall. He felt sick thinking of one of Daniel’s girls being hurt.

***** _Prometheus*****_

Daniel was very disturbed by the appearance of Willow when she and Cameron joined them back on Prometheus. Of course, he was more upset about Tara being taken, so her appearance was secondary.

“How did you lose Tara?” Daniel asked Cameron.

“I didn’t lose her! Someone took her!” Cameron said defensively.

“I need to go to wherever the Ori live,” Willow said to Daniel.

“I’m not sure we know exactly where that is,” Daniel said, looking at Samantha.

“We have some theories,” she said. “We’ve narrowed it down.”

“We’re in no position to challenge the Ori on their home planet,” Colonel Pendergast said.

“I don’t care,” Willow said, working hard to stay calm. “I am not allowing the woman I love to be in the hands of these insane people! They burn people at the stake. Buffy and I were once almost burned at the stake for being witches. What if they took Tara because they realized how special she is?”

“More likely, it was a crime of opportunity,” Samantha said.

No longer on the calming influence of a planet free of dark influence, Willow’s anger grew as she thought of her love being hurt or killed—even tortured. The white bled from her hair, and the irises went back to normal. Willow knew she was losing her power juice, but she didn’t care.

She was going to get back Tara, and she didn’t care what she had to do to make it happen.

_*****TO Be Continued*****_

_Like it? Leave a comment or a kudos! Thanks!_


	18. Hive

_*****SGC*****_

Buffy and Ronon were having lunch back on Earth when an airman came and told them that her father had returned.

Holding hands, they were leisurely walking, enjoying being together and the newfound love they were openly acknowledging now. 

“We need to get back to Atlantis, you know,” Buffy said to him. “I know that’s where I’m supposed to be, but I keep getting sucked into things here.”

“It’s only been a week,” Ronon said. “We’ll get back there soon.”

However, when she saw her father and how upset everyone looked, thoughts of Atlantis were far from her mind.

“She’s gone, Buffy,” Willow said.

“Who’s gone?” Buffy said. Then a sinking feeling hit her as she realized that she didn’t see Tara.

“Tara,” Willow said, her eyes filled with tears. “She was right behind me, and then she was gone.”

Buffy’s own eyes filled with tears as she came to an obvious conclusion. “She’s dead?”

“No!” Willow exclaimed. “She was taken.”

“Taken? So she’s not dead?” Buffy asked, wiping her eyes.

“No—I hope not,” Willow said, refusing to entertain the idea.

“Were you on a planet with the Wraith?” Ronon asked, frowning.

Daniel shook his head. “No. Only Jaffa and a Prior were there,” he said.

“The Jaffa wouldn’t take her,” Cameron said. “Luckily, the Wraith haven’t made it to this galaxy yet.”

“So the creepy Ori people have her?” Buffy asked in dismay.

“I have to find her, Buffy,” Willow said, her voice breaking. “She’s my everything.”

Buffy pulled her in for a hug. “I know, Will. We’ll find her,” she said. She looked at her dad, who seemed more rattled than she’d seen him in a while.

“Where’s Dawn?” he asked.

“She’s in your office working on some dead language puzzle you left on your desk,” Buffy said. “I used to wonder how she was such a nerd, but I don’t wonder that anymore.”

Daniel grinned. “Well, she does take a bit after me in some areas,” he said.

Buffy smiled and then looked at Cameron. “So what’s the plan?” she asked.

“I have to speak with General Landry, and see what he says,” Cameron said.

Buffy led Willow to Dawn and filled her in on the news. No surprise, she was upset to discover Tara’s fate.

“We should go back there and look on the planet,” Dawn said.

“We looked,” Willow said. “Someone took her off world.”

“We’ll find her,” Buffy said.

“Where’s Xander?” Willow asked.

“Oh, he’s at the Alpha Site with his new V team,” Buffy said.

“So Spike didn’t get dusty with the alien sun?” Willow asked.

Buffy shook her head. “Nope,” she said. “He’s due back tomorrow, I think.”

“I have to find her, Buffy,” Willow said, her eyes revealed the fear she was feeling.

“We will,” Buffy said. “Between the talents of SG-1 and your magical abilities, she’s as good as found.”

Little did she know, things wouldn’t be that easy.

***** _A Month Later*****_

Buffy couldn’t believe four weeks had went by, and they still hadn’t found Tara. After a week of helping search, Ronon went back to Atlantis without her. It was hard to be away from him, but she knew that Willow needed her. Her father had been very disturbed by the changes that Willow went through on the planet where Tara was taken. Fear that she would turn to black magic and go too far was prominent in her dad’s mind. Talking it over on the phone with Giles didn’t reassure him any even though Buffy didn’t feel nearly the same level of concern. It was Willow, and Willow never did the wrong thing. However, she wanted to be there for her best friend, so she stayed earthbound.

Jack had the newly formed V-Team getting their feet wet by searching worlds. Xander and Spike had both been thrilled with their new job—she was happy for them. Tara’s disappearance had pushed up the timetable that Jack had initially planned for the new team. Xander and Spike training was accelerated, and they were welcomed into the SG program on a probationary basis. Xander had officially started college, but he was taking it slow. It was just correspondent classes and only two to start. Because Anya had decided to move to Colorado and be with Xander as soon as she was able, he was happier than Buffy had ever seen him. 

However, Willow was lost, and it broke Buffy’s heart to see her in pain.

Samantha was working hard to help pinpoint the main Ori base. Even Vala was helping Jack, using her knowledge as a former Goa’uld host to mention possible systems to check.

Dawn helped Buffy portal to Atlantis, so she could see Ronon for the weekend after being away from him for a week. The Atlanteans were not very surprised to see the relationship status change between the two as they had already seemed fairly bonded before.

John, though, enjoyed the new radiance that Buffy seemed to emanate whenever she was next to Ronon.

“I see they are now more than friends,” Elizabeth said, when Buffy made her first weekend visit.

“Yes,” John said. 

“It’s so annoying,” Rodney said, secretly jealous. “It makes me wanna gag.”

“I think you’re looking a bit green there, Rodney,” John said, giving him a knowing smirk.

“What? I’m not jealous!” Rodney said. “They’re clearly made for each other. Have you ever seen a girl get so excited about weapons? A normal man hasn’t a chance with a girl like that.”

“That’s true,” John said. He felt a slight pang that Ronon had found her first.

Buffy found it difficult to say goodbye on Sunday evening with Dawn opened the portal for her, but she knew that Willow needed her support. Xander was off world now more than not, searching for Tara. Anya wasn’t going to be in town until she found a buyer for her shop.

She found Jack in a meeting with the General and SG-1.

“We think we’ve pinpointed the area where the Ori are located,” Jack told her. 

“Where?” Buffy asked.

“It’s Celestis, a planet located in a distant galaxy,” Daniel said. “It’s the planet where Vala and I first made contact with the Ori.”

“We weren’t sure it was where they were from,” Sam said. “But Jack finally got a hold of the Asgards, and Thor confirmed it.”

“We’re going to need you to go with Willow and keep her calm,” Jack told Buffy. “Both Cameron and your dad were a bit disturbed by her reaction to Tara’s kidnapping.”

“When will we leave?” she asked.

“In three days,” Jack said. “We’re waiting for the return of Cameron and Teal’c along with the V-Team.”

“Okay,” Buffy said. She hoped they’d find Tara—everyone missed her.

***** _Two Days Later*****_

As Daniel and Sam were needed at SGC to do research, Cameron and Teal’c were working with the newly returned V-Team. Teal’c and Spike got along well, and Cameron was assessing the new team for Landry since Jack was working with Vala and Daniel. They had accompanied the V Team, observing more than anything as Dixon had things well in hand. Now that Jack had finally gotten Thor to reply to his inquiry about the Ori, the plan was a go. Cameron and Teal’c would get a night of rest before they were off again, but this time, they would be with their SG1 team, Willow and Buffy.

At first, Buffy was going to go accompany the team while Dawn stayed on base. A marine would drive her to and from school. It was the best solution as they knew very few people outside of SGC.

Then they got a message from Atlantis.

Jack groaned and looked at Landry. “This is the worst timing,” he said. 

“I’ll call Dr. Jackson and have him come here,” Landry said.

“I’ll go to him,” Jack said. “Buffy’s working with the marines in the gym. It’s best if he breaks the news to Buffy.”

Daniel blanched when Jack told him the news. “Ronon was with Shepard’s team on P3M-736 when they were captured by Wraith,” he shared.

“Is he okay? Please tell me he’s not dead!” Daniel said.

“There’s no way of knowing,” Jack said. 

“Buffy’s going to lose her mind,” Daniel said. 

“That’s why I told you first,” Jack said. “You get to break the news to her.”

“Great,” Daniel muttered. Then he went to find her.

She was sparring with three marines at once. He and Jack paused in the doorway to watch as she gave instruction after each hit.

“You’re moving too slow, Tom,” she said. She kicked him in the stomach with enough force to move him back a few feet.

“Scott, what kind of hit was that? I couldn’t even feel it!”

“At least, I got a hit in,” Scott replied with a grin.

“Buffy,” Daniel called out. Buffy turned just as Tom rushed her, knocking her flat.

The assembled Marines cheered as Tom jumped around with his hands raised like he’d won a boxing match.

“So doesn’t count!” Buffy said with a pout as she sat up.

“It so does,” Tom insisted, grinning. “You said distractions are just the way idiots die.”

Jack snickered, and Daniel glared. “Not the time for laughter, Jack,” he admonished.

“Okay, guys, clear the room,” Jack ordered. “We have to speak to Buffy.”

“What’s up?” Buffy asked, walking over to the two men.

Daniel waited until the men had cleared out and then told Buffy the bad news about Ronon.

“We’ve got to get Dawn here,” Buffy said grimly. “I have to get to Atlantis and lead a rescue.”

“We’re going to search the Ori’s home planet in two days,” Jack reminded her.

“If Ronon isn’t found, he’ll be dead by then,” Buffy said flatly. There was no way that she was going to allow the man she loved to die—not when she was finally happy.

_****A Few Hours Later*****_

When Buffy and Dawn arrived at Atlantis, Buffy was surprised to discover that only Rodney had managed to escape the Wraith. 

“How is that possible?” Buffy asked.

“When you get captured by the Wraith, it’s every man for himself,” Zelenka said.

“That’s not true!” Rodney said in outrage. “John _was_ with me. He got me loose and went to get Ronon and Teyla. Then the Wraith noticed, so John turned to fight them. He told me to run, so I ran to the puddle jumper they had sucked up. That’s the only reason I got away.”

“How long did you wait?” Buffy asked, trying to control her anger.

“I waited ten minutes, and I knew that if John was coming, he would’ve been there. I had to get help,” Rodney said, his voice breaking. “I didn’t want to leave, Buffy. You got to believe that!”

Dawn felt sorry for the poor guy. “We believe you, Rodney,” she said. 

“Do you know where they are now?” Buffy asked. “Can we find the Wraith ship? We’ve spent weeks trying to find Willow, and she’s still gone.” The thought of losing Ronon filled her with both fear and rage. Buffy was working hard not to shake Rodney.

“We can find the ship,” Rodney said. “Normally, Wraith hibernate on the ships, not a real planet. They don’t cruise the galaxy and move fast—only when invading or trying to feed.”

Elizabeth Weir finally spoke, “Buffy, the problem is getting onto the ship undetected.” She looked wary as she glanced at Dawn.

Dawn figured out what she was thinking before Buffy did and decided to make it easy for them. “I can open a portal to the ship if I can see it,” she said.

“Absolutely not!” Buffy said. “Not only do none of us want to end up in space accidentally, you are not going to a Wraith ship!”

“I meant inside the ship—duh!” Dawn said, rolling her eyes. She wished her dad was there with them as he could make Buffy see reason. “Not to mention, I have no plan on going inside the Wraith ship. If we are within eyesight of the ship, comms will work, right? I just have to open and close a portal from safely inside one of our little ships.” 

“That could work,” Elizabeth said.

“It’s actually a great idea,” Rodney said. “Buffy can lead some of our marines to help.”

“The more who go, the more attention we are likely to attract,” Buffy said.

“Well, you can’t go alone,” Elizabeth said.

“She won’t be,” Rodney said. “I’m going to go with her. I know exactly on the ship where we were held.”

“Fine,” Buffy said. “I’m going to get my weapons.” She walked quickly to her ancient weapons room, trying to decide on which weapon to take with her. First, she grabbed a utility belt, so she could attach a few knives, grenades, and her lightsaber to it. Of course, she put on the lightweight body armor first, and then attached her belt around her waist. The back scabbard for her sword was last. 

When she made it back to Rodney, she said, “You need to carry several small bombs of some kind to place around the ship. We need to blow the thing up after we exit, so it can’t pursue us.”

“Good thinking,” Rodney said. “I’m putting a few handguns in my bag for the team, so they have something to fight with after they’re freed. Do you want a gun of some kind?”

Buffy shook her head. “I don’t need a gun. I wanna get up close and personal and cause those bugsuckers some real pain,” she said flatly.

“The puddle jumper is ready to go,” Zelenka said.

“That’s good,” Buffy said. She looked at Dawn. “Under no circumstances, Dawn, can you decide to go inside the ship after us. Do you understand? You don’t know what the Wraith are like. They’re much worse than vampires. They literally suck the life out of person, leaving them a dry husk. Unlike a vamp, they don’t always go for the kill. Instead, they wrap you up in their hive like a spider to feed on you whenever they can.”

“It’s pretty horrific,” Rodney added with a shudder. 

“I know, Buffy,” Dawn said. “I don’t want to be a soldier or face monsters. I’m very glad we left the hellmouth!”

Buffy looked at Rodney. “You ready?” she asked. “Who’s flying the plane?”

“I’d really like to do it,” Ford said. He’d finally been cleared of all the Wraith enzyme and was ready to work. 

Elizabeth frowned. “I don’t know about that, Lieutenant. Being that close to the Wraith might cause more problems for you,” she said, thinking of the temptation to drain some Wraith of their enzymes.

“I’ll stay on the ship. I promise. Rodney gave me the gene therapy, and I can fly,” Ford said. “I need to do something—Sheppard did everything for me. I have to help.”

“It’s fine with me,” Buffy said to Rodney. “If you trust him, so will I.”

“Normally, Ford would be a better person to back you up, but it’s better if Sheppard makes that call,” Rodney said as he, too, was a bit wary of Ford being so close to Wraith again.

“I agree,” Elizabeth said.

“Let’s go,” Buffy said, anxious to get to Ronon before he was sucked dry by some Wraith.

Within ten minutes, Dawn was in her first official spaceship. She still couldn’t believe that Buffy had agreed to allow her to go along with them. The ship was small, but she sat buckled in, trying to hide her excitement.

Rodney sat next to the guy named Ford while she sat behind Rodney with Buffy next to her. Ford glanced back at her. “Have you been in space before?” he asked.

Dawn shook her head. “No. I haven’t even been in a wormhole since I can open a portal to Atlantis,” she said.

He grinned. “That’s really amazing,” he said. “Space is pretty cool, too, though.” Rodney put in the coordinates, and Ford pushed some buttons. Then he pulled back on a lever of some kind. 

Suddenly, they were through the wormhole and on some planet. It was so fast that Dawn barely blinked.

“That’s all there is?” she asked, looking at Buffy.

“Beats me,” Buffy said with a shrug. “I went from wormhole to wormhole and didn’t use spaceships.”

Ford flew them up, and it reminded Dawn of an airplane—until there was no more sky. She was in space.

“There it is,” Rodney said, getting their attention. 

Buffy and Dawn both looked with interest at the huge ship that was a football field or so ahead of them.

“Okay, so you know what the plan is?” Buffy said, looking at the three. “Ford, you do _not_ under any circumstances allow Dawn to cross her own portal and get onto that ship.”

“God, Buffy, I won’t!” Dawn exclaimed.

“What if I don’t contact you and tell you I’m ready? What if you hear me die or get hurt on the comms?” Buffy asked bluntly. “Do you think you should come over and save me?”

Dawn opened her mouth to form a reply and realized that she wasn’t sure what to say. “I-I don’t want to leave you hurt,” she admitted.

“But you _will_ if it comes down to it,” Buffy said grimly. “I have to trust, Dawn, that you won’t leave our father without either of his daughters. You have to be strong enough to go home and tell him what happened. Tell him I died trying to save Ronon and the others. Now I’m at peace—because that’s what death is. It’s peace.”

Dawn nodded, shaken at the thought of her sister being dead. “Okay,” she said. “I understand.” Buffy ascended once before, so if the worst happened, maybe she would again. Maybe she’d be with their mother.

“But no one’s going to die,” Rodney said firmly.

“That’s right,” Buffy said. “Well, a whole of Wraith are going to die.” 

“Do you have your comms?” Ford asked.

“I do,” Dawn said. 

“Let us know when you want her to reopen the portal,” Ford said.

“I can’t promise to be in the exact spot, Dawn, so you’ll need to focus on me like you did that time when you first opened a portal to Atlantis,” Buffy said. “Do you think you can do that?”

Dawn nodded. “I think so,” she said.

Rodney hated how untested all this was. This was not a controlled environment, and so many things could go wrong.

However, he didn’t get time to think any more about it as the portal was open. Then he was back on the place of all his future nightmares.

He watched as Buffy stepped down the hall of the Wraith ship without any signs of fear or hesitation. “Which way?” she asked in a clipped tone.

He pointed, and she moved through the ship. Finally, they came across two Wraith. Before Rodney could do much, Buffy had sliced one’s head off and the other she actually sliced in two. She moved so fast that Rodney didn’t do much but blink before it was over.

“Place the timers,” Buffy reminded him while she paused, peering down a hall while he did so.

He placed one detonator, and then another Wraith saw her. It fired a weapon that Buffy dodged while he pushed against the wall to avoid the shot. Buffy seemed undeterred as she charged and hit the Wraith low, knocking it down. Then a dagger was pulled from her side as she sliced its throat and then stabbed it in the heart for good measure.

Two more Wraith appeared, and Buffy killed them with apparent ease. Then four more came, and she never faltered, swinging her sword, dodging blows and even a weapons discharge. Finally, the hall was silent as the dead Wraith lay at Buffy’s feet.

Quickly, Rodney placed another detonator, trying to keep up with Buffy, who announced, “There. I see bodies!”

She moved to inspect the webbing. “Ronon? John? Teyla?” she called out in a loud whisper.

“I am here,” Teyla said. Buffy moved to cut her loose while Rodney placed another detonator.

Rodney moved a few feet down another nearby corridor and heard a voice. “Here. They’re over here,” Rodney called. He moved to pull John out. “We got you, John.”

“Ronon?” Buffy said. She felt relief course through her as she spotted his familiar form. “Dawn, we found them. We’re cutting them down now. Two minutes and open the portal.”

“Okay,” Dawn replied.

Buffy moved to cut Ronon loose, glad to see he was relatively unharmed. “I can’t believe you let yourself get captured like this!” she scolded.

“What can I say? I’m not much good without you watching my back,” he said, smiling at his other half.

Buffy placed a kiss on his lips and then turned as the portal opened. Rodney placed the final charge and then pushed the five-minute timer. “Go! We got five minutes!” he called as he stepped behind Teyla, walking onto their ship.

“Go,” Ronon said to Buffy.

“You first,” she said, a stubborn glint to her eye.

Ronon glared but stepped in the portal. Two Wraith shot at them. Buffy grabbed John and spun around, throwing him into the portal while the Wraith shot again. This time, the flare of heat hit Buffy in the back, and she fell into the portal.

Dawn closed the portal behind her.

***** _To Be Continued*****_


	19. Finding Tara

_*****Same Place and Time*****_

Ronon shoved John aside to catch Buffy in his arms. 

“Go! Go! Go!” Rodney yelled at Ford. “We have three minutes to clear before it explodes.”

“Buffy was hit,” John said.

“How bad is it?” Dawn asked, looking down in fear at her sister. She could see the charred mark on her back.

“I’m okay,” Buffy said. “My body armor took the blast.”

“It held up against a plasma blast?” Rodney asked with interest. “Why didn’t you tell me that you had body armor in that room?”

“I didn’t get done inventorying it, remember?” Buffy said, standing to her feet. “There’s been one distraction after another.”

“You’ll need to leave that in the lab, so we can study it and see what it’s made of,” Rodney said.

“Rodney,” John said in warning. “Not the time.” He looked at Ford and sat down in the open chair next to him. “Thanks, guys, for rescuing us.”

“We are most grateful,” Teyla said, smiling at Buffy. She put her hand on Dawn’s arm and gave it a squeeze. “You are very brave.”

Dawn blushed. “I stayed on the ship, so not much bravery required,” she said.

Buffy hugged her. “Thanks for the timely portal save,” she said. 

“We’re at the gate,” Ford said. 

Rodney punched in the address to Atlantis, and they were home.

Elizabeth Weir breathed a sigh of relief when she saw them.

Dr. Beckett gave her a knowing smile. “I told you that they’d be fine,” he said.

“Anything could’ve gone wrong,” she said. “Can you imagine having to tell Daniel that his girls were gone?”

Buffy, having heard the comment as she hopped off the ship, smiled up at her. “No worries. It was easy-peasy, just like I hoped. I got to kill some Wraith up close and personal, and then Rodney made their ship go kaplooey.”

Elizabeth held out her hand to John. “It’s good to have you back, John,” she said, smiling warmly at him.

He returned her smile, and said, “It’s great to be home,” he said, holding her hand a long moment. “Thanks for sending them.”

“Like I could’ve stopped the Summer girls,” Elizabeth said, giving the two sisters a fond look.

Dawn looked at Buffy to see if she noticed. Buffy grinned, and then she grabbed Dawn’s hand, pulling her away and giggling. They whispered to each other and kept looking at John and Dr. Weir. Dawn nodded and laughed.

Everyone looked at Ronon for an explanation. He shrugged. “I couldn’t even begin to explain those two,” he said. He loved Buffy more than anything in any galaxy, but he didn’t even try to understand all her references, comments, or reactions. 

John laughed. “Sisters have their own language,” he said. “I need a nap, and then I’ll give you my report.”

“That’s fine,” Elizabeth said. “Rodney will give me his first anyway.”

“It’s like this,” Rodney began, “Mini-Xena slaughtered every Wraith she saw without hesitation—once, she sliced a Wraith in two. Yes, two pieces! I planted the detonators whenever I saw a good spot. Buffy killed more. Then we found John first—I spotted him before Buffy did. Then Ronon and Teyla were down a nearby corridor. Buffy told Dawn to open the portal, and then I went through it first.”

“They shot at us as Ronon went through the portal,” John added. “Buffy grabbed me and threw me through it and took a blaster to her back.”

Elizabeth and Dr. Beckett looked at her in concern, but she shrugged. “No biggie. My ancient body armor kept me all warm and safe,” she said.

“That’s great,” Elizabeth said. “Go clean up, rest, or get some food,” she said.

Ronon walked over to his lover. “What are you two whispering and laughing about?” he asked.

Buffy looped her arm through his. “Come on, and I’ll tell you,” she said. Then she stopped and looked at Dawn. “Hey, you better go back to SGC and tell Dad that everything worked out fine. Come get me in the morning to leave on the mission with him and Will.”

“I’m going with you,” Ronon said, not wanting to be away from her.

“Of course,” Buffy said. “Like I’m going to let you go off by yourself after you let yourself be captured by the Wraith.”

“I didn’t let myself!” Ronon protested.

They started bickering and walking away, Dawn completely forgotten. She gave them an exasperated smile when John came up to her. “Don’t take it personally,” he said. 

“Oh, I know,” she said. “It’s good to see Buffy so happy. Ronon is a giant teddy bear.”

“He’s like Chewbacca—that’s why I call him Chewie,” John said. “You know, _Star Wars._ ”

“Yes, I know _Star Wars,_ ” she said with a grin. “Before I go, I want to ask you something.”

“Shoot,” he said.

“Buffy and I couldn’t help but notice the sparkage going on between you and Dr. Weir,” Dawn said.

John’s eyes widened in surprise. “What? Sparkage? No! There’s no sparkage! She’s my boss,” he said.

“So,” Dawn said.

“She’s got a boyfriend back on Earth—a fiancée,” John said.

“She _had_ a fiancée,” Dawn said, looking smug. “Buffy said her ring was gone when she came back from her visit to Earth. Buffy asked her, and Dr. Weir admitted that her fiancée wasn’t okay with her being gone so long.”

“Oh,” John said, not sure what to think. “It doesn’t change the fact that she’s my boss.”

“But she’s not military. My dad told me that Uncle Jack can’t date Sam, but he could if they were into each other since he was technically just a contractor, not military. It’s frowned upon, and they’d probably be moved to different teams,” Dawn said. “But it wasn’t against the rules like it’d be for Jack and Sam. You and John aren’t out into the field together, so it wouldn’t be that big of deal. You are a long way from Earth, so it’s not like anyone would know anyway.”

John smirked. “Because teenage girls can totally keep a secret,” he said.

“I can _totally_ keep a secret!” she said in outrage. “Well, when I want to!”

John just grinned, finding her amusing. “How about you and your sister stay out of my love life, and I’ll stay out of hers?” he said. 

Dawn’s eyes lit up. “Oh, so you’re admitting it that you _have_ love life feelings toward Dr. Weir? I knew it!” she exclaimed.

He shook his head. “Dawn, thanks for helping me be rescued,” he said. “Now go home!”

Dawn giggled. “Fine,” she said. “But think about it. Life is short, and you’ve got a dangerous job. Why shouldn’t you get your snuggles on?”

John tried to look stern. “Goodbye, Dawn,” he said, ignoring her comment. Then he turned to go to his quarters. Suddenly, he couldn’t help but think of what Dawn said. He growled in frustration. “Crazy girl,” he muttered as he stepped into his quarters.

Not far away, Buffy was kissing Ronon and taking off his clothes. “I have to make sure you have no Wraith prints anywhere on you,” she said, running her hands down his wide chest.

“I told you that they didn’t get to us yet,” he said. “But you can inspect me all you want.”

“My heart stopped when Dad told me that you’d been taken,” she said. “I couldn’t handle it if something happened to you. I love you so much.”

“I love you just as much,” he said, his hands on her shoulders. “But you’d handle it just fine because you are the strongest person I’ve ever met. You’d keep fighting, waiting until the time we can be together again.”

Buffy looked up at him and sighed. “I know you’re right, but it would totally suck,” she said.

He’d been around her long enough to know what that expression meant and nodded. “It would totally suck,” he said back.

Buffy grinned in amusement. “My Earth words sound funny coming from your alien lips,” she told him.

“Well, then why don’t you do something else with my alien lips?” he suggested, reaching for her shirt to pull it off.

“I can totally do that,” she said, wedging her lips to his.

**** _*Earth*****_

It was time. Willow had everything she needed to get her lover from wherever those psycho Ori had staged her. Goddess help them if they hurt a hair on her head. Going with Giles to England and so been worth the trip. Just seeing him again gave her confidence. It was too bad he had to go back to the hellmouth. Things weren’t the same without him. She glanced at Daniel, who wasn’t too far away. Buff’s dad, though, was an excellent substitute.

“You ready, Will?” Xander asked. It was going to take some time for them to get to this planet that might contain the Ori base.

“If I can get close enough to Tara, I can find her,” Willow said. “Even if she’s on a moon orbiting the planet—I just have to get closer than we obviously are now.”

“Can you believe this is our life?” Xander said, looking out at the stars in the ship they were on. At first, they’d planned on using one of their new ships, but Thor had loaned them their ship named Daniel Jackson, which cracked up the Summer girls immensely. Dawn was home with Anya, but both women had been allowed to see them off on their long journey.

Willow eyed the little gray man flying. “I just can’t believe little gray men are real,” she said quietly. “The inner geek in me is screaming.”

“But we’re trying to be cool, right?” Xander grinned at her. She got him like no one else.

Willow returned his smile and nodded. “Totally,” she said. “I can’t help but wish Oz was here with us. Would he give more than a one-word response?”

“He’d say, ‘Aliens are real? Cool,’ and then go about like it was nothing,” Xander said with a smirk.

Willow laughed. “You are probably right,” she said.

Buffy walked over. “What are we laughing about?” she asked.

“Just our new life with little gray men,” Xander said.

“It is surreal—even by our standards,” Buffy agreed.

“I was just picturing Oz’s reaction to all this,” Willow shared.

Buffy smiled, thinking of their stoic werewolf friend. “Do you ever hear from him?” Buffy asked. “Do we know if he’s okay?”

“Actually, he’s great,” Willow said. “He met a woman in Tibet and wants to marry her. He emailed me a few weeks ago—it’s why I was thinking of him. He said they were having a simple Buddhist ceremony, so not to be offended if no invites were sent out. I wished him our best, and I told him that Tara had been kidnapped by a big bad, and we were trying to find her. He said that he knew I would.”

“That’s so nice to hear,” Buffy said. 

“We’ve emailed periodically since he left town,” Willow said. “He sent me an apology email for nearly eating Tara that one time.”

“I’m glad you kept in touch,” Buffy said. She was lucky to have some many great friends in her life.

“Scoobies are forever,” Xander said.

“Totally,” Willow said, leaning against him. They just needed to get Tara back, and life would be perfect.

***** _Where the Ascended Dwell*****_

Joyce bit her lip in anxiety. Of course, her lip wasn’t actually there—it was like a mental image that all the ascended projected. 

“It’s time,” Morgan Le Fey said to Joyce. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

Joyce nodded. “I can’t just watch anymore. I have to act—it’s what Buffy would do,” she said.

“Your daughter is extraordinary, and the others hope she lives a long time before joining them up here,” Morgan said, smiling. “She will wreak havoc.”

Joyce laughed. “Completely,” she said. It’d been hard not reach out more, but she’d been learning and absorbing as much knowledge as she could. This was her time to make a real difference in her daughters’ lives and in Daniel’s.

She would sacrifice anything to save them.

***** _Celestis*****_

After suffering days and days watching the stars pass, Buffy was ready to go nuts.

“If I don’t get off this ship soon, I might hurt someone!” she complained to her dad and Ronon. Besides working out and sparring, she’d tried to distract herself with fun time with Ronon. However, the confinement was making her insane.

“Who knew stars and space could be boring?” Xander said.

All of the seasoned SG teams there raised their hands. All but Jack was on this trip—even Vala. Vala had managed to ease the time quite painlessly. She leaned back against Spike, who had his arms around her waist. “I thank this is the best trip ever,” she said, flashing Spike a very satisfied look.

“There’s only so much fun bedtime we can do!” Buffy complained.

“Speak for yourself, Slayer,” Spike said, kissing Vala. 

Vala had not been turned off by her new lover’s body temperature, finding it just a quality of the new alien species Spike happened to be.

Although Daniel was happy for his friend, he still shuddered. “Thanks for those images, Vala,” he said.

“Indeed,” Teal’c said.

“No need to be bored anymore,” Sam announced as she stood nearby next to their Asgard captain. “We have arrived.”

“Seriously?” Buffy said, looking at the stars still outside the window.

“Give it a minute,” Sam said, smiling.

They watched as the spaced changed into sky, and then the planet below them appeared closer.

Everyone cheered. It didn’t take them long to find a good spot to land.

Teal’c and the V-team were the first off base—no frying of Spike.

“I love alien planets!” Spike said, peering up at the sun that wasn’t burning him alive. It seemed the magic that cursed vampires to the night was tied specifically to his Earth. Each time, though, he stepped on a new planet, he felt a thrill. He could hardly believe this was his life. Making time to go through those trials to get his soul back as Teal’s suggested allowed him to fully enjoy his newfound happiness.

Willow followed Buffy and Ronon off the ship with Daniel closing up the rear.

She stretched out with her senses and spoke the spell that she had created after much research.

“Omnia mysteria mea ut reveletur. Veni ad me, amica mea!” she uttered.

Everyone gave her some space. When her hair turned white and her eyes opened completely white, Vala’s mouth fell open. “Is that supposed to happen?” she asked.

Daniel was just relieved that it was white and not black as Rupert had told him the danger of Willow turning to black magic to find Tara. Her journey with him to the coven in Devon had really paid off.

“She’s using white magic, so it’s fine,” Daniel said.

Willow looked at them and smile. “I can feel her!” she announced.

This time, she would get her beloved back, and the Ori would be punished.

It wouldn’t be vengeance—it would be justice.

***** _Too Be Continued*****_


	20. The Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoy this last chapter. It both wraps up the current story and includes an epilogue. I apologize in advance if the Ori are not portrayed exactly as you imagined. It’s been a LONG time since I’ve viewed that season! If you’ve ever watched Angel, then you might be familiar with the man and woman I bring into this chapter that are the PTB conduits on Earth (or something). If you don’t know, you won’t lose anything.
> 
> BTW, I’m not sure exactly when same sex marriage was legal, so let’s not worry about the time frame as I don’t particularly care about minute details like that as this IS fanfiction.

_*****Celestis*****_

Willow was there on the planet channeling her magic, and then she was gone.

“Where did she go?” Cameron asked.

“She must’ve teleported to wherever Tara is,” Buffy said.

“Leave it to Red to not save us any baddies,” Spike said.

“We need to check the area—she could’ve gone to their location on this planet,” Cameron said.

What they didn’t know was that Willow wasn’t exactly on the planet. She’d locked onto to where Tara was.

Tara looked up in surprise when she saw a person in her room. “Willow!” she cried from the bed she was sitting in.

“Baby,” Willow said. She moved quickly to embrace Tara and sensed something wrong.

“I didn’t think I’d ever see you again,” Tara said, crying. “They are so strong.”

“Not as strong as I am,” Willow said. She pulled back the cover and looked at Tara in shock. “What did they do to you?”

“They impregnated me,” Tara said, tears falling.

“They raped you?” Willow gasped, her white hair turning black.

“Not exactly—there wasn’t a person—not that I could see,” Tara explained. “I don’t really understand what they did.”

“You look much more pregnant than two months,” Willow said. “It’s only been two months, Tara.”

“I know. They did something—I don’t know what they did,” Tara said. “But I can see the baby inside—it’s mine, a daughter.”

“Can you walk?” Willow asked. Tara nodded and got out of the bed.

Willow’s first priority was to get her to safety, so she held her hand and teleported her back to their friends.

Cameron jumped when the two women appeared. “Damn it! Do you have to do that? It’s freaky!” he complained.

Everyone surrounded the women, hugging Tara. However, they couldn’t hide their shock at her pregnant state.

“Oh God!” Xander said in dismay.

“What did they do?” Buffy asked.

“They raped her,” Willow said in a cold voice.

Buffy and Xander took in the black eyes and blackening hair Willow was sporting—only the tips of her hair was still red. “Will, you need to take a breath,” Xander said in a soft voice.

“Willow, dark magic won’t make things better,” Buffy said.

“The Ori violated Tara, and I’m going to make them pay,” Willow said in a voice that sent chills down Cameron’s back.

He started to say something when Willow winked out of existence, causing him to groan. “Damn it! She did it again!”

“This isn’t good,” Daniel said.

“No, it’s not,” Buffy said.

“Let’s get Tara back on the ship,” Samantha said.

Tara was worried about Willow, but she was relieved to be back with her friends, who she considered family. Buffy and Daniel helped her onto the ship.

“I wonder what Willow’s doing to those Ori,” Cameron said.

“Probably something painful,” Xander said. “I just hope she can come back from it.”

Willow stood in front of a flame and could sense countless beings out in the abyss. A man with funky eyes stood in front of her, holding a staff.

“You dare to violate the sanctity of the Ori! You have stolen our vessel! Where is she?” the man said.

“How dare _you_!” Willow said, her hair going entirely black. “Are you the one who raped my Tara?”

“She is blessed to carry the seed of the holy Ori,” he said.

Willow was done talking and blasted him with her magic, knocking him back. 

“You will pay for that!” he said, standing up.

“No, I won’t,” she said. She pulled his staff to her and absorbed its energy. “Now that was a rush.” She hit him again with another blast of power—this time he didn’t get up right away. 

The Ori, however, weren’t going to allow her actions to go unpunished. The flame burned bright and grew, forming the outline of a person. A voice like thunder came from its fiery mouth.

“You have the audacity to violate the sanctity of the Ori! You will die!” it said.

Willow created a shield just in time as its fire hit her shield. She was using all her magic to hold off the heat, but she started to feel the warmth. Sweat began forming on her forehead as she dug deep, keeping the shield strong. However, she knew that she couldn’t keep up the shield much longer. Since she wasn’t on Earth, she couldn’t draw energy and sustain the shield from the Ori’s onslaught.

Just when she thought she was going to be burned alive, it stopped. Surprised, she cautiously looked over the shield and was in for a shock.

Joyce Summers stood there, glowing. She held out her hand and began to quench the flame somehow.

“Stop,” Joyce ordered. “You will not kill her.”

“You dare to interfere? It is forbidden!” the flaming mouth spoke.

“What I do or do not do is not under your prevue,” Joyce said. “What you are is perverse. What you did to Tara a blasphemous act. If you do not stop your encroachment on this galaxy, you will regret it. Tara and her child are not yours. Willow is very powerful. Imagine how powerful she would be if she ascends. I will make sure that she destroys you utterly. If you attempt to influence Tara’s unborn child, we will destroy you.”

“We do not believe you have this power,” the Ori said.

Suddenly, an attractive man and woman that Willow didn’t recognize appeared.

“We will give them that power,” the new woman said.

The Priori that Willow had knocked out rose to his feet. The Ori spoke through him and said, “You are not allowed to be here!”

“Our Champion, Buffy Summers, life is intwined with the two witches. They fight with her, so they, too, are ours,” the woman said. “If you attempt to harm them in any way or proceed to take the child—we will destroy you.”

“The child is ours!” the Priori and the flaming man said at the same time.

The man finally spoke. “No. She is ours—our oracles have foreseen this,” he said. “She will grow up to be a great champion of Earth.”

Willow was reeling from how many surprises she’d had the last few minutes. First, there was Joyce, and then the Powers That Be showing up, and now this about the baby. This was not how she saw this going. Her anger began to fade as Joyce reached out and took her hand.

“I can feel you!” Willow said in surprise.

“Let us go from this place,” Joyce said. 

Then the two of them winked away, leaving the Ori and the Powers behind.

Buffy was standing guard in front of the ship with Spike and Cameron while her father and Xander were inside the ship with Tara. Ronon, Sam, and Vala were searching the nearby woods when they saw a bright light near the ship and moved to see what was causing it.

Cameron’s shout of “Damn it!” caused Buffy to turn. When she saw who was with Willow, she gasped. “Mom!”

Joyce held open her arms as Buffy ran toward her. However, Buffy remember what had happened when Dawn had tried to touch her ascended mother, and she stopped. “I can’t believe you’re here,” she said, gazing at her mother.

“I had to help,” Joyce said. “It was time.”

“She stopped the Ori from burning me to a crisp,” Willow said, her hair now back to normal.

“Dad!” Buffy called out. Cameron moved to the door of the ship and called out for Daniel, who soon appeared.

“Joyce,” he said. He moved to stand in front of her, trying to restrain himself from reaching out as he assumed that she was not corporeal.

Joyce, however, stepped forward to hug him. “I love you, Daniel,” she said. Before he could respond, she was gone.

Daniel felt a stab of loss and didn’t understand why she left so suddenly.

It was time, though, to head back to Earth.

***** _Earth*****_

When they made it back to Earth, Willow took Tara to be checked out by Dr. Frasier. Buffy and Ronon waited to find out how she was while Daniel reported to Jack and Landry what had went down.

“Are you okay, Danny?” Jack asked him after he was done. They were walking out of Landry’s office.

“No,” Daniel said. “I don’t understand. I was able to touch Joyce, but then she disappeared without saying goodbye.”

“I’m sure you’ll see her again,” Jack told him.

“I hope so,” Daniel said.

They went to see how Tara was doing.

“I feel fine,” Tara was saying as they walked into the medical bay.

“Baby, you’re pregnant,” Willow said.

“Yes, Willow. I know,” Tara said with a smile, but she rolled her eyes. “I’m pregnant, not dying.”

“But what about the accelerated growth?” Willow asked.

“We will have to monitor her, but I see no signs of distress,” Dr. Frasier told them. “Your blood pressure if fine. You seem to be at thirty-two weeks.”

“How is that possible?” Jack asked. “She was just gone two months.”

“I don’t know,” Dr. Frasier said. “It’s not anything I’ve ever observed. We will closely monitor her, but I see no reason to think that the baby won’t be perfectly healthy.”

“Maybe since you’re not there with the Ori, they won’t work anymore of their voodoo on you,” Xander said.

“Let’s hope,” Buffy said.

Tara was just glad to be back and with her friends and lover. She put her hands on her stomach, grateful that her baby was okay.

Later, when she and Willow were in bed, she asked Willow, “How do you feel about all this, Will?”

“What do you mean?” Willow asked.

“I’m pregnant with a baby, and we don’t exactly know who the father is,” Tara said.

“Do you think that matters to me?” Willow asked. “I love you. This will be our baby, and the Powers told me she was going to grow up to be a great champion.”

“Really?” Tara asked, her eyes lighting up. “I didn’t know how it was ever going to happen since I wasn’t attracted to men, but I always wanted to be a mother.”

“You were born to be a mother,” Willow agreed. “I’m the one that was raised by scientist who used me to try out their theories on child rearing on. I have no idea how to be a mom.”

“We’ll learn together,” Tara said. “I’d like for us to get married, though.”

Willow’s eyes widened. “Really? You want to be marry me?” she asked.

“I want to spend the rest of my life with you, and if we’re going to raise a baby together, I’d like to make it more permanent,” Tara said. “Even if the ceremony is just for us and our friends.”

“I’d have to invite my parents,” Willow said.

“I won’t invite any of my family,” she said.

Willow grinned and kissed her. “Let’s start planning this wedding,” she said.

“Should we tell everyone?” Tara asked.

“Tomorrow,” Willow said. “Tonight, I need you to just be here with me.”

The next morning, Xander went outside to get the paper and saw a woman on the lawn. Alarmed, he rushed out to check on her and saw bare skin and sandy blonde hair. Her face was hidden, but he was uncomfortable approaching a naked woman who might be ill alone.

He ran back inside and called for Buffy and Daniel—Buffy was the lightest sleeper and came to the top of the stairs, glaring down at him.

“What’s with the screaming, Xander? It’s not even nine o’clock!” Buffy complained. 

“There’s a naked woman on the lawn. I’m going to get a blanket, but I thought another woman should be the one to check on her,” Xander said.

Buffy went outside and saw the woman, so she moved toward her and knelt door. The woman stirred and turned. Buffy eyes widened as she realized that the woman was her mother.

“Mom?” she said.

“Is she alive?” Xander asked as he approached with the blanket.

“It’s my mother,” Buffy said, reaching for the blanket.

Excited at the news, Xander’s quickly turned around.

“Mom?” Buffy asked.

Joyce opened her eyes and sat up, the blanket around her shoulders.

“Buffy?” she said.

Buffy’s eyes filled with tears as she hugged her mother.

“What’s going on?” Daniel asked from the doorway.

“It’s Joyce,” Xander said. “She’s come back to us.” Carefully, he turned around and saw that Buffy had covered up her mother.

Daniel moved toward her, his eyes taking in her form. When her eyes locked with his, he smiled.

The woman he loved was home. Daniel was finally going to get his happy ending.

***** _Five Years Later*****_

It was graduation time for Xander. It had taken him five years, but he did get his bachelor’s in business with a minor in woodworking—much to Jack’s annoyance. To get paid as a full consultant, SGC only needed him to earn a degree, and he pointed that out to Jack whenever he yelled, “For crying out loud!”

He spent two years working correspondence courses and getting his general education requirements and somehow had gotten into Colorado College, a private four-year college that offered classes in woodworking. Jack thought it was a total waste of his time, and he just didn’t see how much woodworking relaxed him. Teal’c got it, however. Currently, he was helping Teal’c make a cradle for his son’s new baby, and Teal’c was enjoying it.

He looked at his family from the stage. Anya was there, sitting next to Val, who’d become her best friend. Having a friend who really got her had settled something inside Anya. Her insecurities about her place in Xander’s world had disappeared. She’d made a place at SGC in Daniel’s department, but she still ran her own business. They’d bought their own house three years ago—his compromise as everyone in their life was married and reproducing. He hadn’t been ready yet.

Tonight, however, he planned on finally proposing. It was time as he was ready to try his hand at fatherhood like all his friends. Xander didn’t know this, but Anya had a secret of her own that she planned on sharing that night.

Buffy and Ronon’s three-year-old twin sons, Danny and Johnny, who he affectionately called Holy and Terror, were wearing matching bow tie suits that Giles must have ordered for them. They had Ronon’s coloring but Buffy’s green eyes. Xander chuckled as he saw Ronon and Buffy’s hands firmly on both boys as the two could never be trusted when in public or near their cousins.

Giles and Faith were both there helping keep an eye on all the little tikes as Tara and Willow’s daughter Emma was five and possessed Tara’s looks, but she somehow had a hot temper when provoked. The twins loved provoking her, and they took particular pleasure in getting her to use her magical powers to punish them. Not only did they find it exciting, but Emma always got in trouble, which they quickly figured out. Emma loved the boys, but she wasn’t about to be their victim. 

Although Emma’s pregnancy had happened too soon, the rest of her developed had gone back to normal. She did possess magical powers that were advanced, but the Ori had never tried to take her—so far.

Somehow, Faith had more luck than anyone but Buffy and Ronon getting the boys to listen and behave—much to Willow’s annoyance. Although Faith’s five years were up, and she was no longer legally bound to the hellmouth in Sunnydale, she was committed to staying. Giles, however, was retiring as an active Watcher. Instead, he was going to work for the SGC as he and Dr. Lam had been dating the past two years.

As they began calling names, Xander moved closer. Soon, he heard his name being called, and he walked across the stage to get his diploma. It was nice to actually finish one of these ceremonies without the guest speaker turning into a giant snake and trying to eat the graduates. Buffy had graduated a year before, and Tara and Willow the year before her. However, this time he got to wear the robes and have the party afterward.

He heard cheers and whistles and grinned out at his friends, who were busy snapping pictures. Willow was crying proud tears while Jack beamed at him. Vala was the whistler—he grinned at her. How she had fallen for Spike was mystifying to Xander, but he found her very similar to Anya and had a soft spot for her. The two of them had become valued members of SGC, and Xander was going to be an official member of her team and Spike’s team. The past few years, he’d mostly went on training missions with SG-1 or the V team. However, he wasn’t a full-time member as he hadn’t wanted to rush things. He’d been spending more time remodeling the large house he’d bought for him and Anya. The three-year project was finally done, and he was ready to focus on SGC more.

Dixon had retired three years ago, and their old Sunnydale comrade-in-arms, Graham Miller was the new team leader. He’d been recruited four years earlier as word had gotten back to him that Buffy and company were working for the government in Colorado. He had just known that Buffy’s connection to Daniel couldn’t have been the only reason for all of them to pull out of the hellmouth.

Graham, of course, had been right. He and Xander had become great friends since he’d joined SGC. Currently, he was sitting next to Dixon and clapping for Xander. 

Xander took his seat and waited for another name to be called.

“Dawn Marie Summers.” He stood up and cheered with Dawn’s parents and friends. The little smart ass had graduated high school a year early and finished her degree in three years. Of course, she was following in her father’s footsteps and would go on to get a graduate degree in linguistics. 

He glanced back at Joyce and Daniel, who were beaming with joy. Teal’c was holding their three-year-old son Jackie up, so he could see over the standing friends and family. It had been vastly amusing to Xander and horrifying to Buffy when her mother had confessed that she was pregnant a month after Buffy and Ronon’s pregnancy announcement. Jackie had to be physically restrained whenever he was in close proximity to the twins as the three of them were a wrecking ball if allowed to roam free. Although Jackie wasn’t as high energy as the twins, they brought out his mischievous side.

Xander grinned—he loved that little guy. He was earnest and curious like Daniel but much more sweet-natured than the twins. However, he also had Daniel’s ability to fall into trouble, which the twins loved the most about him. He was always the leader, pushed by the twin’s natural boldness. Jackie came up with some ingenious plans—much to his parents’ horror and his namesake’s glee. The adults worried what the trio would get into when they were older.

Buffy clapped loudly and so did the twins—they adored their Uncle Xander.

After getting Tara and her mother back, Buffy’s life had become exactly like she’d hoped for. After spending a few weeks visiting with her mother on Earth and attending her parents’ wedding, she and Ronon had gone back to Atlantis, throwing themselves into the battle with the Wraith. Then a year passed, and she and Ronon were married on the beach in California—Buffy’s wedding dream. They honeymooned on Catalina Island. When she’d become pregnant with the twins, she and Ronon moved back to Earth until they were born. After they were six months old, however, they moved back to Atlantis, a place they both considered home.

Nearly a year ago, Tara had become an elementary teacher and convinced Willow to move to Atlantis, so she could teach the twins along with Teyla’s children and several others. Buffy had been ecstatic as it was great having her best friend so close to her, watching their children grow up together. Currently, Willow was trying to persuade Buffy to have another baby because she had finally convinced Rodney to donate his sperm, so she could carry her and Tara’s next baby. She wanted to give Emma a brother, and Rodney agreed that their combined DNA would create an incredible scientific mind.

It had taken Rodney a full year before he stopped reacting to the incredible feats Buffy managed or the very real existence magic had in his world.

Willow had discovered that some of Teyla’s people—including Teyla herself—had a natural affinity for magic, and she had begun teaching the people. After several years, magic was a part of Rodney’s daily world.

The Scoobies had grown up, explored words, fallen in love, and become parents.

However, they were still fighters—Champions—and would continue the fight.

Wherever it might be.

***** _The End*****_

_Well, that’s a wrap. I hope you enjoyed the final chapter. Take a minute to give me one last review. Thanks!_


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